tihtavy  of  Che  theological  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

RufuE  H.    LeFevre 


RUFUS  H.  LEFEVER 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/historyofsherbroOOmcke 


Otticintlc    1^  c 


ean 


]M.Mp  of  Country  -A-ro-und  Sherbro  jVlission. 


\       JUN  11  1952 


OF 


SHERBRO  MISSION. 


\VEST    AFRICA, 


UNDER  THE 


DIRECTION  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 


OF  THE 


United  Brethren  in  Christ, 


DAYTON,  OHIO: 

UNITED   BRETHREN   PUBLISHING   HOUSE, 
1874. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874, 

BY  REV.  W.  J.  SHUEY, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


CONTEISrTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

Origin  of  the  Mission 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Freetown — First  impressions — Kindness  of  American 
Missiooary  Association — Exploring  Tours — Return  of 
Messrs.  Shuey  and  Kumler... 14 

CHAPTER  III. 

Mr.  Flickinger  left  alone — Kindness  of  other  Mission- 
aries—  Head-men's  Maneuvering  —  Purchase  of  a 
House  in  Freetown 22 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Two  more  Missionaries  Appointed — EflForts  to  Locate  at 
Shengay  Successful— Chief  Caulker's  Design — Loca- 
tion Described 27 

CHAPTER  V. 

Learning  the  Sherbro  Language — Rev.  W.  B.  Witt — 
Building  Mission  Chapel — Sabbath-school  organized 
— Building  Mission  Residence — Failure  of  Mr.  Bil- 
heimer's  Health 34 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Rev.  John  A.  Williams— His  Life  and  Death — Bible-class 
and  Sabbath-school — Two  Souls  Converted— Their 
Firmness  in  the  Truth — Crowds  Flock  to  Hear 40 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Rev.  C.  0.  Wilson — Discouragements — His  Return 44 


ati± 


IV  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Mr.  Flickinger's  Third  Voyage  to  Africa — Sale  of  Free- 
town property — Apathy  of  the  Church — Slave-holders 
Rebellion  in  America 48 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Mr.  Bilheimer's  Visit  to  America — Marriage— Returns  to 
Africa — Joy  of  the  People — Proof  of  God  s  Approval...    54 

CHAPTER  X. 
Climate — Seasons — Sickness 59 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Religion — Superstition — The  Gospel  their  only  hope 65 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Agriculture — Horticulture  , 70 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Sickness  of  Missionaries — Mr.  Bilheimer's  final  return 
to  America — Mr.  Williams  Alone — Prospects 74 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  Hadley— Arrival  in  Afriqa— Difficulty  of 
Reaching  the  Heathen Meeting  of  the  Board 82 

CHAPTER  XV. 

First  Year — Strong  Faith  —  Discouragements  —  Moham- 
medans        88 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Day  and  Sabbath-schools — War — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadley 
return  to  America — His  Death 95 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Effect  of  Mr.  Hadley's  Death— Doubts  and  Diffidence  of 
the  Board — General  Conference  Action 101 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Appointment  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gomer — Meeting  in  Day- 
ton— Arrival  in  Shengay -.  109 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Difficulty  of  Holding  Converts — Children  under  the  in- 
fluence of  Heathen  Parents 118 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Mr.  Gomer's  Faithfulness — Visits  Harrowtown — Day 
and  Sabbath-schools — Interest  of  the  King  in  the  Mis- 
sion   126 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Conversion  of  King  Caulker 132 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Other  Souls  Converted — Cheering  Prospect — More  Help 
Wanted 188 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Death  of  the  King— The  Field  Large  and  Ripe 144 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Farming — Commerce — "Wages — Courtship — Marriage 160 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
The  New  King — Catalogue  of  Converts 158 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Two  more  Missionaries  Sent— Letters  from  Mrs.  Had- 
ley,  and  Mr.  Gomer 165 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

D.  F.  Wilberforce... 178 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Interesting  Letters — War  Palaver — Mr.  Gomer  as  a 
Diplomat. , 183 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Building  a  New  Chapel— Rev.  Peter  Warner  and  Wife 
go  to  Africa 195 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Sherbro  Country  and  People— Kings'  Quarrels — Number 
of  Converts 202 


n  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
Cldsing  Remarks 220 


MISSION  IN  GERMANY. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Origin  of  the  Mission • 225 

CHAPTER  II. 
Opposition  of  certain  classes 231 

HOME  MISSIONS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Origin  of  the  Missionary  Society 238 

CHAPTER  II. 

Mission-conferences — Statistics 250 

CHAPTER  III. 

Organization  of  Nebraska  Conference — General  Satis- 
tics 259 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Fourteenth  General  Conference — Wisconsin  made  a 
Mission-conference  again — Cascade  Conference  or- 
ganized   264 

CHAPTER  Y. 

Twelve  Mission  -  conferences — North  Michigan  Self- 
supporting — German  Mis-sions  in  Toledo,  and  Colum- 
buB.. M 268 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Increase  in  Numbers — Improvement  in  Book-keeping — 
Financial  Exhibit  of  Twenty  Years — The  Sixteenth 
General  Conference  in  Dayton,  Ohio 273 


PREFACE. 


The  following  pages  have  been  prepared  with  a  view 
to  presenting  in  brief  the  history  of  Sherbro  Mission, 
in  West  Africa,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Church 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  Fully  persuaded 
that  this  mission  has  the  seal  of  the  Master's  appro- 
bation, and  has  been  kept  alive  and  carried  through 
many  seasons  of  darkness  and  great  discouragement 
by  His  gracious  providence,  the  writer  trusts  that  this 
record  of  its  career  may  prove  both  interesting  and 
profitable  to  the  souls  of  its  readers,  and  a  stimulus  to 
bring  the  Church  up  to  a  more  hearty  and  liberal  sup- 
port of  this  and  all  other  missions  under  the  fostering 
care  of  the  Board  of  Missions. 

Added  to  the  volume  will  be  found  an  interesting 
account  of  the  origin  of  the  United  Brethren  Mission 
in  the  kingdom  of  Bavaria.  The  reader  will  see  from 
this  description  what  painstaking  and  labor  are  re- 
quired, and  what  difficulties  are  encountered  in  estab- 
lishing a  foreign  mission,  even  in  countries  where  the 
least  opposition  might  be  expected. 

The  volume  closes  with  a  summary  of  the  Home 
Mission  work  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  for  the 
last  twenty  years. 

It  gives  an  account  of  the  formation  of  the  Mis- 


Till  PREFACE. 

sionary  Society,  the  causes  which  led  to  such  organ- 
ization, and  the  more  immediate  and  important  results 
to  the  Church,  and  to  the  world,  of  the  operations  of 
said  society  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States. 

The  writer  commits  this  little  volume  to  the  world 
with  the  prayer  that  God's  blessing  may  attend  it,  and 
that  His  grace,  in  the  largest  measure,  may  still  abide 
with  all  who  are  engaged  in  missionary  labor  in  heath- 
en lands. 

Wm.  McKbb. 
Datton,  Ohio,  March  1,  1874. 


SHERBRO  MISSION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Origin  of  the  Mission. 

IT  has  ever  been  the  hope  of  Christians  that 
the  whole  world  will  be  subdued  by  the 
gospel.  They  have  always  held  that  the 
prophecies  relating  to  Jesus  Christ  warrant 
the  belief  that  he  will  at  some  period  become 
the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth,  in  the  sense  of 
causing  the  whole  world  to  trust  in  him  as 
the  only  savior  from  sin.  This  conviction 
has  so  moved  the  hearts  of  God's  people 
during  the  last  half  century,  that  they  have 
projected  missions  for  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen  in  Arabia,  Syria,  Turkey,  India, 
China,  Japan,  Australia,  Madagascar,  Green- 
land, Africa,  North  America,  South  America, 
and  in  scores  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 


10  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

Among  the  eiForts  recently  put  forth  may 
be  mentioned  the  first  foreign  mission  under- 
taken by  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ,  among  the  Sherbro  tribe,  on  the 
western  coast  of  Africa.  The  station  was  lo- 
cated at  the  town  of  Shengay,  in  the  fifth 
degree  of  north  latitude,  and  thirteenth  de- 
gree of  west  longitude,  from  Greenwich. 

The  subject  of  sending  missionaries  to  for- 
eign countries  had  engaged  the  attention  of 
many  members  of  the  Church,  both  ministers 
and  laymen,  for  several  years.  The  Rev.  W. 
J.  Shuey  was  especially  prompt  and  energetic 
in  agitating  the  mind  of  the  Church  on  this 
subject.  He  pleaded  for  it  before  the  Miami 
Conference,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  and 
visited  several  other  conferences,  dwelling 
upon  the  degraded,  perishing  condition  of 
those  who  were  destitute  of  the  gospel,  and 
maintaining  with  great  earnestness  that  this 
Church  could  not  do  its  whole  duty  while  it 
made  no  eflbrt  to  send  the  gospel  to  the 
heathen.  These  appeals  had  a  good  efiect. 
The  leading  members  of  the  Church  began  to 
think  and  pray.  They  felt  burdened  with 
the  fact  that  God  had  done  so  much  for  them 
and  they  were  doing  so  Jittle  in  turn  for  his 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  11 

cause.  They  believed,  too,  on  reflection,  that 
the  heathen  were  our  neighbors  and  breth- 
ren, and  that  we  were  in  an  important  sense 
"our  brother's  keeper."  This  being  so,  they 
ought  to  perform  their  part  in  enlightening 
them.  This,  however,  was  a  conviction 
which  was  of  slow  growth  with  many. 
There  were  not  wanting  members  of  the 
Church  who  thought  a  foreign  mission  a  use- 
less project.  They  found  many  and  weighty 
objections.  There  was  work  enough  to  do  at 
home;  it  was  not  God's  time  to  save  the 
heathen;  as  a  Church  we  were  not  numerous 
or  wealthy  enough  for  such  an  undertaking, 
and  we  would,  on  the  whole,  be  wasting  our 
energies  attempting  what  we  could  not  ac- 
complish and  at  the  same  time  be  neglecting 
what  we  might  do  in  home  fields  which  were 
ripe  for  the  sickle.  However,  after*  consider- 
able discussion  in  divers  places  and  manners, 
earnest  thought,  and  fervent  prayer,  the  lead- 
ing minds  in  the  Church  were  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  was  our  solemn  duty  to 
help  carry  the  gospel  to  the  heathen  as  well 
as  to  the  civilized  nations.  And  when  it  was 
asked.  Where  shall  we  go?  all  seemed  to 
agree  that  we  should  go  to  the  most  needy. 


12  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

India,    China,   and   other   heathen  countries 
were   spoken  of;   but  it  was  finally  agreed 
that  Africa  was  as  far  from  God  as  any  por- 
tion of  the  earth's  inhabitants,  and  it  would 
be  well  for  us  to  make  an  eflbrt  to  help  them. 
It  was   thought   especially  fitting   that   this 
country,  which  had  kidnapped  so  many  Afri- 
cans, brought  them  to  this  country  and  made 
slaves  of  them,   should    now  do   something 
to  enlighten  and   save  the  millions  who  in 
their  own  native  country  grope  their  way  in 
darkness  down  to  death.      However,  before 
this  conviction  became  general  in  the  Church, 
or  had  given  expression  to  itself  in  any  more 
positive  manner  than  the  making  of  frequent 
contributions  to  other  boards  of  missions  sus- 
taining laborers  in  foreign  lands,  the  Mission- 
ary Board  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
held  its  first  annual  meeting  in  Westerville, 
Ohio,  June  1, 1854.    It  is  worthy  of  note  that 
this  Board  at  its  first  session  was  burdened 
with  the  duty  of  sending  missionaries  to  for- 
eign  countries.     After   much    thought    and 
prayer  they  gave  expression  to  their  feelings 
in  the  following  words  : 

"•Resolved^  That  we  send  one  or  more  mis- 
sionaries to  Africa  as  soon  as  practicable." 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  13 

Memorable  words !  A  dozen  men  repre- 
senting a  comparatively  feeble  church  resolv- 
ing to  send  the  gospel  to  Africa!  Surely  this 
was  not  the  counsel  of  worldly  wisdom !  The 
Board  walked  by  faith,  not  by  sight.  And 
the  history  of  their  mission  in  Africa  demon- 
strates the  assertion  that  they  received  wis- 
dom from  above. 

The  Board  then  appointed  the  Rev.  W.  J. 
Shuey,  pastor  of  the  First  United  Brethren 
Church  in  Cincinnati,  as  their  first  mission- 
ary to  Africa,  and  recommended  the  Exec- 
utive Committee  to  appoint  one  or  two  more 
to  accompany  him.  Not  long  after,  the  com- 
mittee chose  Rev.  D.  C.  Kumler  and  Rev.  D. 
K.  Flickinger  to  go  to  Africa  with  Mr.  Shu- 
ey. 

Bidding  farewell  to  friends  and  country, 
they  sailed  from  ITew  York  early  in  January, 
1856,  and  in  due  time  arrived  at  Sierre  Leone 
West  Africa. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Freetown — First  Impressions — Kindness  of  American  Mis- 
sionary Association — Exploring  Tours — Return  of  Messrs. 
Shuey  and  Kumler. 

OUR  missionaries  landed  in  Freetown, 
February  26,  1855,  having  been  thirty- 
four  days  on  the  ocean.  As  they  were  wholly 
unaccustomed  to  sea  voyages  the  reader  may 
imagine  their  satisfaction  on  being  able  to 
again  set  foot  on  terra  Jinna,  Freetown  is  a 
city  of  eighteen  or  twenty  thousand  inhab- 
itants with  not  more  than  two  or  three  hun- 
dred white  people  in  it.  It  is  the  capital  city 
of  the  colony  of  Sierre  Leone — so  named  from 
a  great  mountain  in  the  colony  denominated 
Sierre  Leone,  or  "Lion  Mountain."  The  col- 
ony, or  state,  contains  nearly  three  hundred 
square  miles,  being  about  as  large  as  a  small 
county  in  this  country. 

The  city  is  unlike  anything  in  America. 
The  people  know  nothing  about  the  use  of 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  15 

horses,  wagons,  carraiges,  or  drays.  Travel- 
ing by  land  is  all  done  on  foot.  Goods,  build- 
ing materials,  and  agricultural  products  are 
carried  from  one  place  to  another  by  the  na- 
tives; and  as  a  rule  whatever  they  can  place 
on  their  heads  they  walk  off  with,  and  with 
as  steady  and  upright  a  gait  as  if  this  was  the 
original  design  in  giving  the  people  heads. 

Many  of  the  people  live  in  huts  made  of 
poles,  thatched  with  straw  or  wild  grass,  and 
then  plastered  or  daubed  with  mud  both  with- 
in and  without. 

But  there  are  some  excellent  houses.  The 
town  is  regularly  laid  off,  and  some  of  the 
streets  are  well  graded  and  paved.  This  col- 
ony is  owned  and  governed  by  England. 
Queen  Victoria  appoints  the  governor. 

Here  our  brethren  tarried  a  few  days,  feel- 
ing that  they  were  strangers  in  a  strange 
land.  But  everything  they  saw  and  heard 
reminded  them  that  this  was  a  heathen  coun- 
try. The  people  needed  somebody  to  tell 
them  that  Jesus  died  for  them,  loved  them, 
and  would  save  them  if  they  believed  in  him. 
They  had  he'ard  and  thought  much  about  the 
poor  heathen  before  they  left  home;  now 
they  saw   them.      They   felt,  moreover,  that 


16  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

they  had  done  well  to  have  it  in  their  hearts 
to  cany  the  gospel  to  them.  There  were  sev- 
eral good  churches  in  Freetown.  These  were 
fruits  of  missionary  labor,  and  our  missiona- 
ries were  strengthened  in  the  conviction  that 
the  gospel  is  the  power  of  Glod  unto  salvation 
for  all  people,  of  whatever  race  or  color. 
Here  they  might  have  tarried  and  found 
plenty  of  work  to  do,  but  they  were  unwill- 
ing to  build  on  another  man's  foundation. 
Hence  they  determined  to  go  out  into  some 
darker  place  and  hold  forth  the  lamp  of  life. 
The  field  was  very  large.  It  would  not  do 
for  all  the  laborers,  however  pleasant  to  them- 
selves, to  congregate  in  Freetown. 

They  now  sailed  down  the  coast  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  to  the  south 
part  of  Sherbro  Island^  and  took  lodgings  at 
Good  Hope  Station,  a  mission  planted  and 
manned  by  the  American  Missionary  Associa- 
tion. To  this  association  and  their  missiona- 
ries in  Africa  our  missionaries  and  our  mis- 
sionary society,  from  first  to  last,  are  under 
many  obligations.  They  have  shown  us  num- 
erous and  marked  favors.  They  gave  our 
first  missionaries  letters  of  introduction  and 
commendation  to  their  own   missionaries  in 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  17 

Africa.  To  the  Eev.  Geo.  Thompson  and  oth- 
ers in  charge  of  Mendi  Mission  in  Africa,  Mr. 
Whipple,  the  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
association,  wrote,  among  other  good  and 
kind  and  cheering  words : 

"In  relation  to  all  the  questions  of  church 
polity  we  understand  them  to  he  so  catholic 
in  spirit  that  they  can  cordially  labor,  and 
without  any  disposition  to  proselyte,  in  con- 
nection with  evangelical  churches  of  every 
denomination  which  are  not  themselves  ex- 
clusive in  creed  or  practice.  We  trust  also 
that  the  love  of  Christ  so  far  constrains  them 
that  they  will  be  ready  to  know  nothing 
among  you  but  Christ  and  him  crucified  as 
the  groundwork  of  our  hope,  and  the  Re- 
deemer through  whom  we  may  be  accepted 
of  God." 

I  need  scarcely  add  that  our  brethren  were 
kindly  received  and  bidden  God  speed  by  all 
the  employes  of  the  American  Missionary 
Association.  Denominational  lines  were  for- 
gotten or  kept  in  the  background,  and  the 
question  coming  up  from  all  hearts  was 
"What  can  we  do  to  bring  the  people  to 
Christ;  how  shall  we  reach  and  save  the 
multitudes  who  are  perishing  in  their  sins?" 


18  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

From  Good  Hope  they  visited  many  points 
of  interest.  It  was  their  desire  to  secure  some 
location  which  they  might  call  their  own,  and 
go  to  work  as  early  as  possible  to  erect  suit- 
able buildings  and  commence  the  work  of 
a  regular  mission-station.  But  they  soon 
learned  that  this  was  not  the  work  of  a  day. 
Being  strangers  to  the  country,  the  people, 
the  climate,  the  customs  of  the  people,  and 
the  centers  of  influence, — for  even  heathen 
people  have  such  centers, — they  soon  discov- 
ered that  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  adopt 
the  penny  wise  and  pound  foolish  policy. 
They  might  select  some  site  and  spend  time 
and  money  on  it  only  to  discover  by  and  by 
that  it  would  not  do  at  all.  They  had  neither 
time  nor  money  to  waste.  So  they  made  a 
number  of  explorations  up  the  rivers,  as  well 
as  up  and  down  the  coast ;  made  inquiries  of 
other  missionaries  and  of  natives.  All  the 
places  visited  were  so  objectionable  as  to 
cause  them  to  hesitate  to  pitch  their  tent. 
They  spent  some  time  at  Mendi  Mission,  un- 
der the  control  of  that  great  and  good  man, 
Eev,  George  Thompson.  Mr.  Kumler,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Brooks,  made  a  voyage 
up  the  Big  Boom  River.    He  saw  many  ob- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  19 

jects  of  interest,  and  especially  much  need 
of  evangelistic  labor ;  but  the  dangers  grow- 
ing out  of  the  climate,  the  swamps,  the  wild 
animals,  and  the  wild  natives,  were  so  many 
^nd  serious  that  he  could  ^x  upon  no  spot 
where  he  deemed  it  the  part  of  wisdom  to 
establish  a  mission. 

At  length  Mr.  Shuey  and  Mr.  Flickinger 
sailed  up  the  Jong  Kiver  to  explore  the  inte- 
rior somewhat,  and  if  possible  secure  a  loca- 
tion for  a  misspn.  Passing  W"eela,  and  other 
towns  of  interest,  they  reached  at  length  a 
kind  of  horseshoe  bend  in  the  river,  about 
sixty  miles  from  the  coast,  on  which  was  sit- 
uated a  town  named  MoKelli  with  a  popula- 
tion of  five  or  six  hundred.  Adding  to  this 
other  villages  on  the  bend  of  the  river, 
there  was  in  quite  a  small  compass  a  pop- 
ulation of  nearly  two  thousand  souls.  Here 
our  missionaries  determined  to  commence 
work  as  soon  as  possible.  The  country 
was  excellent.  The  people  were  hungry  for 
the  bread  of  life.  The  climate  and  health- 
fulness  of  the  place  were  as  good  as  any  they 
could  hope  to  find  in  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try. But  before  they  could  even  commence 
the  work  they  must  obtain  a  title  from  the 


20  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

head-man  of  the  tribe,  or  king  of  the  country. 
They  sought  an  interview  with  him  and  ob- 
tained the  promise  of  a  written  title  to  mis- 
sion grounds,  but  before  the  bargain  was  con- 
cluded— which  with  these  people  is  generally 
a  tedious  process — they  returned  to  Freetown. 
Mr.  Shuey  having  now  accomplished,  as  he 
supposed,  the  main  object  of  his  voyage  to 
Africa, — the  location  of  the  mission, — and  Mr. 
Kumler  being  dangerously  ill  with  African 
fever,  it  was  deemed  advisable  that  they 
should  both  return  to  America.  Accordingly 
they  took  ship  and  sailed  for  I^ew  York, 
which  port  they  reached  in  safety  after  a 
voyage  of  forty-two  days,  and  arrived  at 
home  soon  after.  Mr.  Kumler  was  a  long 
time  recovering  from  his  illness,  the  African 
fever  tenaciously  clinging  to  him  for  several 
months  after  his  return.  In  a  few  months 
the  Board  of  Missions  held  its  annual  meet- 
ing in  Cincinnati.  Of  course,  Mr.  Shuey  and 
Mr.  Kumler  both  attended  the  meeting  in  or- 
der to  communicate  the  results  of  their  trav- 
els, labors,  and  observations.  The  Rev.  John 
Bright,  who  was  then  the  corresponding  sec- 
retary of  the  Missionary  Society,  was  inclined 
to  reflect  somewhat  on  our  brethren  for  their 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  21 

early  return.  Among  other  things,  he  inad- 
vertently let  fall  the  remark  that  if  some  of 
our  missionaries  would  remain  in  Africa  even 
though  they  died  there  it  would  have  a  good 
eliect  on  the  Church. 

Mr.  Kumler  said  in  reply  that  he  felt  very 
much  like  he  would  die  here  before  long,  and 
if  it  were  deemed  advisable  they  might  take  his 
bones  to  Africa  and  bury  them  there!  Mr, 
Bright  made  no  further  complaint. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Mr.  Flickinger  Left  Alone— Kindness  of  Other  Missionaries 
— Head-men's  Maneuvering— Purchase  of  a  House  in  Free- 
town. 

ME.  FLICKIKGEU  was  now  the  only 
one  left  in  Africa  to  represent  the  Unit- 
ed Brethren  Church.  He  proceeded  to  Good 
Hope  Station,  on  Sherbro  Island,  where  he 
spent  considerable  of  his  time  for  nearly  a 
year.  He  served,  in  fact,  as  the  pastor  of  the 
congregation  a  good  part  of  the  time.  In 
July,  1855,  he  was  attacked  with  fever,  and 
although  he  partially  recovered,  he  never 
fully  regained  his  former  state  of  health. 
Still,  he  would  not  consent  to  abandon  the 
field.  He  would  sally  forth  from  Good  Hope 
Station,  or  from  Freetown,  and  make  quite 
extensive  tours  of  observation,  preaching  to 
the  people  meantime,  until  his  strength  was 
exhausted,  and  then  return  to  his  post.  He 
found  the  missionaries  of  the  American  Mis- 
sionary  Association  fast  friends   during  his 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  23 

stay.  All  the  missionaries  lie  met,  in  fact, 
whether  from  England  or  America,  treated 
him  with  the  utmost  kindness.  But  those  of 
the  American  Missionary  Association,  a  half 
dozen  of  whom  went  over  in  the  same  vessel 
in  which  he  sailed,  were  especially  helpful  to 
him  in  his  labors  among  the  Africans.  Of 
course,  the  subject  that  most  engaged  his  at- 
tention was  the  securing  of  a  suitable  location 
for  a  station.  He  found  it  difficult  to  close  a 
bargain  with  any  of  the  heathen  kings. 
They  would  talk,  and  sometimes  promise, 
but  when  it  came  to  giving  a  written  title 
they  were  slow,  and  very  uncertain.  The 
king  of  MoKelli,  when  Mr.  Shuey  and  himself 
had  decided  to  commence  operations,  never 
committed  himself  to  paper.  He  hesitated, 
talked,  or  "palavered,"  as  the  Africans  would 
say,  half  promised,  but  never  made  the  deed. 
Meantime  Mr.  Flickinger  began  to  learn  from 
the  other  missionaries,  and  from  observation, 
that  MoKelli  was  too  remote  from  the  coast 
for  a  mission-station.  A  part  of  the  year 
the  Jong  River  was  not  navigable  as  far  as 
MoKelli,  and  it  was  a  laborious,  dangerous, 
and  costly  voyage,  which  it  would  by  no 
means  justify   our  missionaries  to  make  so 


24  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

often,  as  they  would  be  obliged  to  do  if  our 
mission  were  located  there. 

During  the  summer  the  chief,  or  head-man 
of  the  town  of  Shengay,  was  driven  from  his 
home  by  a  war  with  the  neighboring  tribes, 
and  took  refuge  in  the  town  of  Bendoo,  only 
four  miles  from  Good  Hope  Station.  Mr. 
Flickinger  paid  him  a  visit  and  tried  hard  to 
obtain  permission  to  open  a  mission  in  or 
near  his  town,  which  was  located  on  the  main- 
land sixty  miles  south-east  of  Freetown,  and 
about  the  same  distance  north-west  of  Good 
Hope  Station,  on  Sherbro  Island.  Mr. 
Thomas  Stephen  Caulker,  the  head-man, 
was  not  inclined  to  grant  any  such  priv- 
ilege. Believing  it  to  be  the  best  site  he 
had  seen,  Mr.  F.  visited  the  old  man  again 
and  again,  and  oflered  every  inducement 
he  could  bring  to  bear  on  the  mind  of  Mr. 
Caulker  to  induce  him  to  grant  the  request. 
But  in  vain.  The  old  man  could  neither 
be  coaxed,  nor  hired  to  yield;  and  for  the 
present  Mr.  F.  had  to  abandon  the  hope  of 
locating  at  Shengay. 

Time  passed.  Mr.  F.  visited  various  places 
on  the  coast,  and  made  two  long  journeys  in- 
land, one  on  the  Big  Boom  River,  traveling 


SHERBRO   MISSION,  25 

more  than  a  hundred  miles  in  a  frail  canoe 
rowed  by  the  natives.  During  these  travels 
he  declares  he  saw  some  of  the  finest  coun- 
try he  ever  looked  on  in  his  life.  But  no  site 
for  a  mission  was  obtained.  It  was  too  soon 
to  begin  so  far  from  the  coast. 

He  continued  thus  to  labor  and  prospect  till 
in  December,  when  he  was  again  prostrated 
with  fever.  From  this  attack  he  did  not 
recover  sufficiently  to  do  any  very  effect- 
ive service  as  a  missionary.  Accordingly  he 
remained  most  of  the  time  in  Freetown, 
hoping  to  so  far  regain  his  health  as  to  re- 
sume his  labors.  But  he  was  doomed  to 
disappointment.  He  grew  worse  instead  of 
better ;  and  in  April,  1856,  he  was  compelled 
to  return  to  America.  Before  leaving  Free- 
town, however,  he  purchased  a  house  for  the 
benefit  of  the  missionaries  who  might  follow 
him.  Whether  our  mission-station  were  lo- 
cated at  MoKelli,  Shengay,  or  some  other 
point,  it  would  certainly  be  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Freetown ;  and  the  missionaries 
would  often  need  to  resort  to  Freetown  for 
rest  and  medical  assistance.  For  this  prop- 
erty he  paid  five  hundred  pounds  sterling — 
twenty-four  hundred  dollars.     The  Board  of 


26  SHERBRO  MISSION. 

Missions  had  been  consulted,  and  heartily  con- 
curred in  the  idea  of  making  this  house  in 
Freetown  a  base  of  supplies  and  missionary 
hospital  for  future  operations.  It  was  hoped 
that  a  select  school  might  be  also  opened  here 
for  the  instruction  of  advanced  scholars,  par- 
ticularly those  who  might  make  effective 
teachers  and  pastors.  The  only  reason  why 
this  house  did  not  meet  the  expectations  of 
the  Board  is  that  the  mission  in  Africa  was 
never  properly  manned,  that  is,  as  to  the  num- 
ber of  missionaries  employed.  There  was 
never,  until  a  recent  period,  more  than  one 
or  two  engaged  at  one  time. 

From  April,  1856,  to  January,  1857,  a 
period  of  nine  months,  we  had  no  mission- 
ary in  Africa.  But  the  work  had  not  been 
abandoned.  The  Church  was  learning  its 
first  lessons  in  foreign  mission-work.  And, 
if  it  was  a  little  slow,  it  was  determined  and 
persevering.  It  had  put  its  hand  to  the  plow 
and  did  not  dare  to  look  back.  So  it  waited, 
and  prayed,  and  hoped.  Believing  it  had  a 
work  to  do  in  Africa,  it  trusted  in  God ;  and 
when  it  could  not  go  forward  it  stood  still 
until  the  pillar  of  fire  moved  forward.  Then 
the  Church  was  ready  to  follow  after. 


CHAPTER  lY. 

Two  More  Missionaries  Appointed— Efforts  to  Locate  at 
Shengay  Successful — Chief  Caulker's  Design— Location 
Described. 

THE  Church  did  not  wait  long.  A  num- 
ber of  names  were  presented  to  the 
Executive  Committee  for  appointment  to  the 
mission  in  Africa.  From  these  names  the 
committee  selected  and  appointed  Dr.  W.  B. 
Witt,  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  Rev.  J.  K.  Bill- 
heimer,  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Witt  was  an  ex- 
cellent physician  and  a  faithful  minister  of 
the  gospel.  Mr.  Billheimer  was  a  young 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  piety  and  fully 
consecrated  to  the  work  of  saving  souls. 
These  appointments  of  the  committee  were 
hailed  by  the  church  at  large  as  being  quite 
happy  in  themselves,  and  an  earnest  of  the 
successful  prosecution  of  the  foreign  mission. 
All  things  being  ready,  the  missionaries 
named,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Flickinger,  who 
was  still  retained  as  the  superintendent   of 


28  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

the  Sherbro  Mission,  took  ship  at  New  York 
and  sailed  for  Africa,  arriving  at  Freetown 
early  in  January,  1857.  In  a  short  time  they 
made  their  way  to  Good  Hope  and  other 
stations  of  the  Mendi  Mission.  This  mis- 
sion, under  the  management  of  the  American 
Missionary  Association,  is  so  called  because 
that  portion  of  Africa  which  they  occupy  is 
called  the  Mendi  country.  At  these  several 
stations  our  brethren  found  welcome  homes 
and  plenty  to  do  whenever  they  were  able  to 
work. 

Mr.  Flickinger  again  renewed  his  efforts  to 
secure  a  location  at  Shengay.  Chief  Caulker 
was  still  at  Bendoo,  being  afraid  to  return  to 
his  native  town  lest  the  neighboring  head-men 
would  kill  him.  He  now  listened  to  our  mis- 
sionaries' proposals  with  some  interest.  Still, 
he  was  not  ready  to  grant  the  request.  Pend- 
ing these  negotiations,  or  "palavers,"  with 
the  chief,  Mr.  F.  made  a  voyage  to  Liberia,  a 
flourishing  republic  about  two  hundred  miles 
down  the  coast,  in  a  south-easterly  direction 
from  Sierre  Leone.  He  spent  nearly  a  month 
here,  and  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  presi- 
dent, congress,  and  other  public  functionaries, 
together  with  a  number  of  the  missionaries 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  29 

whom  he  met,  ought  to  be  taught  some  les- 
sons on  industry  and  self-denial.  He  feared 
they  were  not  doing  their  whole  duty  to  civ- 
ilize and  Christianize  the  republic.  He  was 
also  fully  persuaded  that  Sierre  Leone  was  a 
more  healthy  country  than  Liberia,  and  re- 
turned to  Good  Hope  determined  to  renew 
his  efforts  to  obtain  a  foot-hold  at  Shengay. 
Mr.  Caulker  was  now  more  yielding,  and 
after  several  "palavers"  with  him,  he  was  in- 
duced to  give  his  consent  to  the  location  of 
our  mission  at  Shengay,  in  the  month  of 
March,  1857. 

"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

This  beautiful  song  was  never  more  plainly 
illustrated  than  in  the  present  case.  This  old 
chief,  reeking  with  crimes  numerous  and 
fiendish,  granting  permission  for  the  plant- 
ing of  a  mission  on  his  territory,  shows  how 
God  sometimes  causes  the  wrath  of  man  to 
praise  him.  As  has  been  already  said,  he  was 
driven  from  home  by  neighboring  warriors 
and  dared  not  return.  Kow,  he  doubtless 
thought  that  a  mission -station  located  near 
Shengay,  and  the  constant  occupancy  of  the 
place  by  white  men,  and  possibly  the  occa- 


80  gHERBRO   MISSION. 

sional  passing  of  a  British  mau-of-war,  and 
other  vessels,  would  render  him  secure  from 
his  enemies.  He  cared  not  for  the  gospel 
himself.  He  did  not  wish  his  people  to  be- 
come Christianized.  All  he  wanted  was 
protection  from  his  heathen  enemies.  He 
believed  he  could  secure  this  protection 
by  means  of  a  mission-station;  and,  then, 
as  for  Christianizing  the  people,  he  could 
easily  prevent  that.  He  would  give  just  as 
little  countenance  as  possible  to  the  labors  of 
the  missionaries.  The  free  people  he  could 
advise  not  to  attend  the  school  or  the  church, 
and  his  slaves  he  could  prohibit,  once  for  all, 
from  going  near  the  mission.  "Man  proposes ; 
God  disposes."  Mr.  Caulker  sought  his  own 
safety  in  the  establishment  of  Shengay  Mis- 
sion, but  God  intended  to  glorify  himself  in 
the  salvation  of  the  people. 

Soon  after  the  work  of  clearing  the  ground 
and  building  the  mission  chapel  begun  the  old 
head-man  returned  to  Shengay  and  again  took 
up  his  abode.  ^N'ot  long  after  this  he  made 
peace  with  all  the  tribes  about  him,  so  that  he 
was  in  no  further  dread  of  being  killed. 

N"ow  he  would  have  been  glad  if  the  mis- 
sion had  not  been  commenced.    But  there  it 


SHERERO   MISSION.  31 

was.  He  had  given  a  written  title  to  our 
missionaries  for  the  land.  He  could  not  buy 
it  back,  or  induce  them  to  give  it  up.  But 
he  determined  the  mission  should  do  nothing 
to  save  the  people  if  he  could  help  it.  The 
missionaries  might,  indeed,  educate  his  own 
children,  but  they  should  not  make  Chris- 
tians of  them.  And  this  policy  of  hedging 
up  the  way  of  the  missionaries  by  his  in- 
fluence as  a  king  he  pursued  with  consid- 
erable success  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
would  neither  enter  the  kingdom  himself  nor 
suffer  others  that  would  have  entered  to  go 
in.  But  as  I  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to 
refer  to  Chief  Caulker  in  this  history,  I  dis- 
miss him  for  the  present. 

Mr.  Flickinger  now  returned  to  America, 
having  been  elected  by  the  General  Confer- 
ence to  the  office  of  corresponding  secretary 
of  the  missionary  society.  As  the  rainy 
season  was  just  commencing,  Messrs.  Witt 
and  Billheimer  thought  it  not  prudent  to 
commence  the  work  of  erectino:  buildino;s 
till  the  next  dry  season.  Meantime  they  con- 
tinued to  make  their  homes  at  the  stations  of 
the  Mendi  Mission,  and  to  teach  and  preach 
as  the  Lord  gave  them  opportunity  and  health 
to  labor. 


32  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  will  treat  my 
readers  to  a  description  of  Shengay  Mission- 
station  from  the  pen  of  one  of  our  mission- 
aries : 

^'It  is  on  the  mainland,  about  sixty-five 
miles  from  Freetown,  in  an  east  by  south  di- 
rection. It  is  a  cape,  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
above  high-tide,  and  bounded  on  three  sides 
by  salt-water.  To  the  north  and  east  is  the 
Yawry  bay ;  to  the  west  and  south  is  the 
wide,  wide  sea.  A  few  rods  from  the  north 
point  is  Williams  Island  ;  and  in  a  line  with 
it,  some  four  miles  at  sea,  we  have  three  fine 
islands,  called  Plantain  Islands. 

•'The  land  is  rich  and  arable,  and  is  covered 
with  some  very  fine  teak,  or  African  oak, 
and  a  large  number  of  majestic  palms.  It 
can  be  easily  cleared,  and  will  cost  less  to 
prepare  for  our  use  than  the  land  of  any 
other  place  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge. 
The  water  is  pure ;  and  that  is  an  important 
consideration  in  this  country,  where  pure 
water  is  rare.  There  is  a  fine  sandy  beach 
extending  around  this  place ;  and  there  is 
rock  enough  for  building  purposes.  About 
one  half  mile  from  this  point  is  the  town 
which  gives  name  to  this  cape,  and  all  the 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  83 

surrounding  country.  It  occupies  no  more 
ground  than  a  single  square  in  the  city  of 
Dayton,  and  contains  about  three  hundred 
inhabitants.  Their  houses  are  made  of  a  few 
posts  put  into  the  ground,  and  small  sticks 
of  the  mangrove  woven  in  between  them. 
They  are  covered  with  mud.  They  are  about 
ten  feet  high,  roofed  with  grass,  and  so  near 
together  that  there  are  only  small  paths  left 
between  them.  These  paths  are  so  crooked, 
that  persons  passing  through  them  easily  be- 
come bewildered.  They  are  generally  made 
in  a  circular  form,  though  some  are  made 
square,  oblong,  and  otherwise.  The  people's 
council-house  stands  next  to  the  sea,  and  dif- 
fers from  the  rest  by  being  much  larger.  Its 
walls  are  only  three  or  three  and  a  half  feet 
high,  and  the  ceiling  is  open  to  the  grass  roof 
above.  It  has  two  doorways ;  and  all  around 
on  the  inside,  next  to  the  wall,  there  is  a 
platform  raised  one  or  one  and  a  half  feet, 
and  about  three  feet  wide,  over  which  hang, 
suspended  from  the  roof,  hammocks  for  loung- 
ing in!  It  is  plastered  with  white  mud  that 
resembles  lime,  and  is  the  neatest  house  of 
the  kind  I  have  seen  in  Africa." 
3 


CHAPTER  V. 

Learning  the  Sherbro  Language — Rev.  W.  B.  Witt — Build- 
ing Mission  Chapel — Sabbath-school  Organized — Building 
Mission  Residence — Failure  of  Mr.  Billheimer's  Health. 

ONE  of  the  chief  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
bringing  the  heathen  to  the  knowledge 
of  salvation  is  the  difficulty  of  understanding 
them,  or  they  us.  They  speak  in  one  lan- 
guage, we  another.  It  is  true  many  of  the 
Africans  speak  a  dialect  as  near  English  as 
anything  else,  but  it  is  such  a  gibberish  that 
it  takes  a  stranger  a  good  while  to  learn  it, 
and  even  then  he  finds  it  so  meager,  that  he 
can  not  convey  to  them  any  correct  ideas  of 
the  holiness  of  God,  the  redemption  of  the 
world  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  kindred 
subjects,  all  important  for  them  to  under- 
stand. In  order  to  overcome  this  difficulty, 
Mr.  Witt  undertook  the  task  of  learning  the 
Sherbro  language,  which  is  spoken  by  a  great 
many  Africans.  But  as  they  have  no  written 
language,  this  was  a  tedious  process.     He  had 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  35 

not  gone  through  the  first  rainy  season,  how- 
ever, until  his  health  commenced  to  fail  so 
rapidly  that  he  began  to  fear  he  would  be 
obliged  soon  to  return  to  America.  The 
missionary  Board,  hearing  of  the  precarious 
state  of  his  health,  passed  a  resolution  at 
Lebanon,  Pa.,  May,  1858,  expressing  their 
willingness  to  have  him  return  if  the  state 
of  his  health  was  such  as  to  prevent  his  fur- 
ther usefulness  in  Africa.  Accordingly  Mr. 
Witt  returned,  after  an  absence  of  one  year 
and  a  half.  He  rendered  valuable  service  to 
the  mission  while  there,  and  was  ever  after  a 
zealous  advocate  and  supporter  of  the  Sher- 
bro  Mission. 

When  the  great  Rebellion  broke  out  in  the 
United  States,  Mr.  Witt  was  among  the  num- 
ber who  ofiered  themselves  on  the  altar  of 
their  country.  He  was  the  surgeon  of  a  reg- 
iment of  soldiers  from  the  State  of  Indiana. 
After  passing  through  a  number  of  hard- 
fought  battles,  including  that  of  Millikin's 
Bend,  one  of  the  most  terrible  conflicts  of  the 
war,  and  undergoing  many  hardships,  he  was 
one  day  crossing  a  narrow  bay  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  on  the  coast  of  Texas,  when  the  pon- 
toon bridge  gave  way,  and  Mr.  Witt,  in  com- 


86  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

pany   with    scores   of   other  brave   soldiers, 
found  a  watery  grave. 

To  return  from  this  digression,  Mr.  Bill'- 
hiemer  employed  some  of  the  natives,  as 
soon  as  the  rainy  season  in  the  spring  of  1857 
began  to  wear  away,  and  proceeded  to  clear 
and  otherwise  improve  the  mission  grounds. 
The  first  thing  of  importance  to  be  done 
was  the  building  of  a  chapel.  On  consulta- 
tion with  the  Board  and  with  the  Mendi 
missionaries  it  was  believed  that  the  cheapest 
and  speediest  method  of  building  a  chapel 
was  to  have  one  made  ready  to  set  up  in 
New  York  and  ship  it  to  Africa.  The  Exec- 
utive Committee  therefore  ordered  a  building 
twenty-four  by  thirty  feet  square.  The  house 
arrived  at  Shengay  in  good  time  and  in  good 
order ;  and  in  the  month  of  June,  1857,  Mr. 
Bilhiemer  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
chapel  completed  and  ready  for  occupancy. 
He  had  it  set  on  stone  pillars  seven  feet  high. 
This  was  a  necessary  precaution  to  avoid  the 
dampness  so  common  and  so  productive  of 
disease  on  all  the  western  coast  of  Africa. 
"While  the  work  was  going  on — a  slow  pro- 
cess truly  with  none  but  the  careless,  lazy, 
stupid  work-hands  that  he  was  obliged  to  em- 


i|l'l!ll"''"illl''"'lll'l'!''' 


6!^ 


SHERBRO    xMISSION.  37 

ploy — Mr.  B.  lived  in  a  native  hu^,  superin- 
tending every  part  of  the  work  himself.  He 
put  a  partition  through  the  new  house  and 
made  a  bed-room  and  store-room  for  himself, 
leaving  a  room  twenty  by  twenty-four  feet 
square  for  a  school-house  and  church. 

Thankful  as  he  was  that  the  Lord  had  en- 
abled him  to  build  a  humble  temple  for  Him 
in  Africa,  Mr.  B.  felt  that  his  work  was  just 
begun.  He  commenced  holding  meetings 
for  public  worship  every  Sabbath,  organized 
a  Sabbath-school,  and  began  in  regular  order 
the  work  of  an  evangelist.  But  more  labor- 
ers were  needed.  If  he  or  Mr.  Witt  should 
get  sick  there  was  little  hope  that  the  other 
could  do  the  work  of  the  station  and  care  for 
his  sick  brother.  Besides  all  this,  we  should 
soon  want  some  minister  and  his  wife  to  come 
and  make  their  permanent  home  in  Africa. 
But  there  was  no  place  for  them  to  live,  con- 
sequently Mr.  B.  proceeded  forthwith  to  col- 
lect lumber,  nails,  and  paint,  and  to  quarry 
stone,  with  which  to  build  a  mission  resi- 
dence. In  this  country  it  is  no  great  feat  to 
build  a  house,  if  one  has  the  money  with 
which  to  pay  expenses;  but  the  building  of  a 
decent  and  substantial  house  in  Africa,  and 


38  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

especially  at  Shengay  at  that  time,  was  a  big 
undertaking.  Mr.  B.  deserves  great  credit 
indeed  for  his  patience  and  perseverance  until 
this  house  was  completed.  He  was  obliged  to 
bring  all  his  lumber,  hardware,  and  paint 
from  Freetown.  Some  of  the  materials  were 
indeed  shipped  to  him  by  Mr.  Flickinger  from 
^ew  York.  Stone  and  sand  could  be  had  on 
the  ground,  but  his  masons  had  to  be  brought 
from  Freetown,  sixty-five  miles  distant.  And 
such  masons  !  One  good  stone  mason  in  this 
country  will  do  as  much  work  as  four  of  them, 
and  do  it  better.  Day  by  day  Mr.  B.  watched 
over  them,  and  by  dint  of  eflbrt  compelled 
them  to  dress  the  stones  somewhat  decently. 
Everything  was  done  at  a  disadvantage.  To 
obtain  lime  for  mortar  he  gathered  oyster 
shells  and  burned  them.  If  some  workmen 
left  him  he  hired  others.  If  a  piece  of  work 
was  not  done  well  he  made  the  workmen  do 
it  over  again.  He  thus  patiently  proceeded 
day  by  day,  week  by  week,  and  month  by 
month  till  it  was  finished.  It  is  a  substantial 
stone  building  with  slate  roof,  of  sufficient 
size  (thirty-two  by  forty  feet  square)  to  ac- 
commodate a  half  dozen  missionaries  with  a 
comfortable  home.     The  "bug-a-bug,"  so  de- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  39 

structive  to  wooden  buildings,  can  not  destroy 
it,  the  storms  are  not  likely  to  blow  it  down, 
so  that  in  all  probability  when  it  has  stood  for 
fi.fty  years  as  a  home  and  shelter  for  mission- 
aries it  will  be  as  good  and  substantial  as 
it  was  when  finished.  If  he  should  be  able  to 
do  nothing  else  for  the  Board  during  the 
years  he  might  spend  in  Africa,  he  had  nev- 
ertheless accomplished  a  work  that  few  mis- 
sionaries would  have  undertaken,  and  fewer 
still  persevered  in  until  accomplished. 

But  so  much  hard  work  and  the  enervating 
climate  began  to  impair  Mr.  B.'s  health.  Be- 
ing stricken  down  with  fever  he  would  use  the 
best  remedies  known  to  the  medical  profession 
in  Africa,  which  consisted  for  the  most  part 
of  blue  mass  and  quinine,  and  quinine  and 
blue  mass;  and  as  soon  as  able  he  would  go  to 
work  again.  Thus  he  continued  to  labor 
alone  for  a  considerable  period,  begging  the 
Board  from  time  to  time  to  send  him  reen- 
forcements.  Sometimes  he  would  spend  a 
few  days  in  Freetown  or  at  Good  Hope  sta- 
tion. Once  he  took  a  trip  to  the  Teneriffee 
islands,  and  in  May,  1859,  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica to  recruit  his  health.  He  stayed  here 
about  nine  months,  leaving  the  mission  in 
charge  of  Kev.  John  A.  Williams. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Rev  J.  A.  Williams — Jlis  Life, and  Death — Bible-class  and 
Sabbathj-school — Two  Souls  Converted — Their  Firmness 
in  the  Truth, 

I  CLOSED  the  last  chapter  with  a  reference 
to  Mr.  Williams.  I  will  now  introduce 
the  reader  to  one  of  the  best  men  and  most 
faithful  servants  of  God  whose  acquaintance 
our  missionaries  were  permitted  to  make  in 
Africa.  He  was  employed  by  Mr.  Bilhiomer 
as  an  assistant,  in  1859,  and  continued  to  serve 
as  such — and  sometimes  as  the  only  mission- 
ary on  the  ground  for  months  together— /or 
eleven  years.  His  Master  then  took  him. 
And  while  we  thanked  God  and  took  courage, 
as  we  remembered  his  humble,  faithful  life, 
his  zealous  labors,  his  fidelity  to  the  trust  re- 
posed in  him,  and  his  triumphant  death,  we 
yet  felt  that  our  mission  had  sustained  a  very 
great  loss. 

Mr.  Williams  was  a  native  of  Africa,  and 
had  been  educated  in  the  mission  schools  of 
Freetown.     He  was  a  local  preacher  in  the 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  41 

Lady  Huntington  connection.  Prior  to  enter- 
ing the  service  of  our  mission  lie  was  employ- 
ed as  a  clerk  in  a  large  mercantile  establish- 
ment in  Freetown.  He  sacrificed  his  situation 
and  a  good  salary  to  enter  our  service  at  much 
lower  wages.  But  he  felt  he  was  working  for 
his  Master  in  heaven,  and  was  well  repaid 
in  daily  supplies  of  grace.  But  for  the  ser- 
vice of  this  faithful  man  of  God  we  should 
probably  have  no  mission  in  Africa  to-day. 
When  our  other  missionaries  were  sick  or 
absent  from  the  mission  he  kept  the  work 
going.  At  one  time  he  was  left  alone  in 
charge  of  the  mission  for  about  two  years. 
He  sustained  an  excellent  character,  and  ex- 
erted a  good  influence  over  all  the  natives  with 
whom  he  had  any  connection. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Bilhiemer  had  organized  a  Sabbath-school  at 
the  mission.  About  one  year  after  the  chapel 
began  to  be  used  he  reported  a  class  of  ten 
persons  who  were  seeking  the  Lord,  a  part  of 
them  in  great  earnest.  Two  of  them  were 
happily  converted  to  God.  One  was  a  young 
lady  named'Lucy  Caulker,  a  daughter  of  the 
head-man  of  the  town.  Though  she  was  quite 
young  and  bitterly  opposed  by  her  own  moth- 


42  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

er,  she  yet  dung  to  Jesus  with  all  the  ardor 
of  a  new-born  soul.  Like  another  who  was 
persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake  she  could 

sing, 

"Jesus,  I  my  cross  ha-ve  taken 
All  to  leave  and  follow  thee, 
Naked,  poor,  despised,  forsaken 
Thou  from  hence  my  all  shalt  be." 

She  was  finally  compelled  to  leave  the  mis- 
sion. But  on  Mr.  Bilhiemer's  return  from 
America  to  the  mission  in  1863  he  wrote, 
''Lucy  is  now  here  again  and  seems  as  much 
interested  in  the  Sabbath-school  and  preach- 
ing, and  is  as  faithful  as  ever." 

The  other  convert  referred  to  was  a  young 
man  who  had  been  taken  in  at  the  mission  at 
its  very  commencement.  Of  his  piety  there 
was  no  doubt.  His  earnest  prayers,  his  hum- 
ble life,  his  longing  desire  to  know  more  of 
the  Bible  all  went  to  show  that  he  had  found 
the  pearl  of  great  price.  Mr.  Bilhiemer  wrote 
of  him  in  1863,  five  years  after  his  conversion:. 
"Tom,  one  of  the  young  converts  who  was 
stolen  from  the  mission  by  the  Purrow  Bush 
Society,  has  returned,  but  is  not  a  very  good 
'Purrow  man,'  but  is  greatly  attached  to  the 
mission  and  is  faithful  in  duty." 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  43 

At  the  fime  these  two  souls  were  converted, 


in  1858,  Mr.  B.  declared  there  was  a  deep  re- 
ligious feeling  prevailing  among  the  people. 
The  chapel  was  crowded  with  anxious  listen- 
ers to  the  word  of  life  from  the  missionary 
and  Sabbath-school  teachers.  He  was  strong 
in  the  faith  that  if  his  labors  had  not  been  in- 
terrupted by  sickness,  or  if  there  had  been 
others  at  the  time  to  take  up  and  prosecute 
the  work  which  his  failing  health  forbid  his 
doing,  there  would  have  been  a  general  re- 
vival. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Rev.  C.  0.  Wilson — Discouragements — His  Return. 

BEIE'G  well  informed  as  to  the  uncertain 
state  of  Mr.  Bilhiemer's  health,  and 
well  knowing  that  the  mission  ought  to  have 
an  increase  in  the  number  of  laborers,  the 
Board  of  Missions  earnestly  sought  men  and 
means  for  the  needed  reeuforcements.  Final- 
ly the  Rev.  C.  0.  Wilson  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment, and  in  September,  1860,  he  sailed  for  Af- 
rica, arriving  at  Freetown  the  23d  of  I^ovem- 
ber,  having  been  fifty  days  at  sea.  He  was 
agreeably  surprised  at  the  kind  and  brotherly 
reception  given  him  by  the  missionaries  of 
Freetown.  He  remained  several  days  waiting 
for  a  boat  to  convey  him  to  Shengay.  He 
was  much  impressed  with  the  missionaries 
and  with  the  native  converts.  He  heard  a 
native  preach  a  sermon  in  the  Episcopal 
church  from  the  text,  ^'One  thing  is  needful," 
which  he  declares  would  have  done  credit  to 
the  pulpit  anywhere.     He  adds :     "While  en- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  45 

joying  the  means  of  grace  I  most  forgot  that 
I  was  in  a  heathen  land ;  but  I  was  reminded 
of  the  fact  when  I  came  into  the  street,  by- 
meeting  so  many  of  those  tall,  straight  Mo- 
hammedans with  tlieir  greegrees  about  their 
necks,  and  others  in  a  state  almost  of  nudity. 
There  are  more  than  twenty  churches  in  Free- 
town, yet  they  have  heathens  all  around  them 
and  in  their  midst  unreached  by  the  power  of 
the  gospel.  Oh,  what  swarms  of  people  there 
are  in  this  place  !  The  streets  are  sometimes 
teeming  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see  with  human 
beings,  each  of  whom  has  an  immortal  soul, 
and  most  of  them  perhaps  strangers  to  God 
and  without  hope  in  the  world,  and  seem 
anxious  only  to  supply  their  few  wants  here. 
For  this  purpose  they  are  incessantly  teasing 
you  for  something  to  do.  If  they  see  you  on 
the  landing  it  is,  ^Massa,  you  want  boat?* 
^Captain,  got  a  nice  boat ;  my  boat  clean.'  Or 
if  you  have  anything  in  your  hand,  though  it 
be  not  more  than  a  pound  of  rice,  it  is,  ^Mas- 
sa,  I  take  it  for  you.'  This  morning  I  was 
visited  by  one  of  these  job  beggars,  who  ac- 
costed me  with,  ^Massa,  you  no  want  servant 
to  do  errands  and  cook  V  On  telling  him  I 
did  not,  he  replied,  *Cause  me  no  got  charac- 


46  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

ter,'  meaning  a  certificate  of  good  character, 
a  thing  which  is  always  required  here." 

I  am  sorry  to  add  that  Mr.  Wilson  only  re- 
mained in  Africa  a  few  months.  He  went  to 
Shengay  and  stayed  a  few  days,  and  returned 
to  Freetown  on  business.  Here  he  was  attack- 
ed with  African  fever  and  confined  to  his  bed 
for  more  than  a  month.  On  recovering  a  little 
his  physician  advised  him  by  all  means  to  re- 
turn to  America,  if  he  expected  to  save  his 
life.  Mr.  Bilhiemer  and  other  missionaries 
concurring  in  this  opinion,  Mr.  Wilson  felt 
constrained,  though  much  against  his  inclina- 
tion, to  follow  their  advice.  Accordingly  he 
returned  to  America,  not  having  been  gone 
quite  a  year.  He  felt  very  much  humiliated 
that  he  had  been  able  to  do  so  little  for  the 
mission  at  Shengay.  Fearing  that  the  church 
would  be  dissatisfied  with  his  course,  or  that 
his  example  might  have  a  |3ad  effect  on  future 
missionaries,  he  generously  paid  his  own  pas- 
sage to  and  from  Africa;  and,  I  am  sorry  to 
add,  the  Board  had  so  little  of  the  grace  of 
generosity  or  justice  as  to  allow  hin>  to  do 
so. 

Thus  Mr.  Bilhiemer  was  again  left  with 
none  to   assist  him  but  Mr.  Williams.     His 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  47 

health,  too,  was  still  very  delicate,  yet  he  was 
unwilling  to  leave  the  mission  till  some  other 
missionaries  should  come  to  take  his  place. 
He  prayed  and  waited  and  suffered  long,  but 
none  came..  It  was  a  dark  day  for  our  Afri- 
can mission.  For  once  Mr.  B.  seems  to  have 
been  almost  overwhelmed.  Speaking  of  Mr. 
Wilson's  return  he  wrote:  "This  will  be  sad 
news.  We  owe  Mr.  Heddle  a  larsre  amount, 
and  he  wants  his  money.  This  will  be  sad 
news.  My  own  health  is  precarious.  I  ex- 
pect to  leave  here  in  April  or  May.  This  will 
be  sad  news.  Will  all  these  things  work  the 
abandonment  of  the  African  mission  ?  I  fear 
and  tremble.  God  help  us.  This  is  a  time  of 
great  need." 

But  the  wants  of  the  mission  caused  him  to 
prolong  his  stay  till  September,  1 861,  when 
he  returned  to  America,  having  spent  five 
years  laboring  for  the  Shengay  Mission,  and 
expressing  the  wish  to  return  to  it  as  soon  as 
he  could  recruit  his  health. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

Sale  of  Freetown  property — Third  voyage  of  Mr.  Flicking- 
er — Apathy  of  the  Church — Slave-holders  Rebellion. 

THE  Executive  Committee  not  obtaining  a 
sufficient  number  of  missionaries  to  man 
the  mission-station  properly,  and  Shengay  sta- 
tion proving  quite  as  healthy  as  Freetown,  had 
no  special  use  for  their  house  in  Freetown.  It 
was  decided  therefore  to  sell  it.  This  to  the 
committee  seemed  to  be  a  necessity.  There 
was  quite  a  heavy  debt  standing  against  the 
mission,  and  the  contributions  of  the  church 
to  the  missionary  treasury  were  not  sufficient 
to  do  anything  more  than  meet  the  current 
expenses  from  year  to  year.  Hence  they  con- 
cluded to  dispose  of  the  Freetown  property  to 
the  best  advantage. 

Now  came  a  new  difficulty.  As  soon  as 
Mr.  Bilhiemer  learned  the  wish  of  the  com- 
mittee he  sought  and  found  a  purchaser  for 
the  house;  but  owing  to  the  technicalities  of 
English  law  prevailing  in  Freetown,  a  good 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  49 

title  it  was  thought  could  not  be  made.  Fi- 
nally the  purchaser  declined  to  take  the 
property. 

In  this  state  of  aiFairs  Mr.  Flickinger  de- 
termined to  make  a  third  voyage  to  Africa* 
He  left  Philadelphia  in  December,  1861,  and 
after  a  tedious  and  dangerous  voyage  reached 
Goree,  the  chief  town  of  a  French  colony 
about  eight  hundred  miles  north  of  Sierre 
Leone.  Here  the  vessel  put  into  port  and  re- 
mained two  weeks.  Thence  she  sailed  down 
the  coast  to  Gambia,  and  there  tarried  two 
weeks  longer.  Thus,  after  a  long  and  perilous 
voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  he  was  detained 
from  Freetown,  at  which  port  he  was  promis- 
ed a  speedy  landing,  a  whole  month.  How- 
ever he  reached  Freetown  at  last,  and  with  all 
speed  hastened  to  Shengay  Mission.  He  found 
the  aftairs  of  the  mission  in  a  better  condition 
than  he  expected.  There  were  several  debts 
however  that  he  had  some  difficulty  in  adjust- 
ing. But  by  dint  of  effort  he  succeeded  in 
paying  the  last  dollar  against  the  mission,  and 
in  making  arrangements  for  Mr.  Williams 
to  get  along  another  year  without  further 
trouble. 

But  the  main  object  of  his  visit  was  not  yet 


60  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

accomplished.  He  must  sell  the  Freetown 
property.  He  soon  found  a  customer,  but, 
though  he  had  thoroughly  equiped  himself 
with  a  power  of  attorney  in  this  country,  and 
every  qualification  he  thought  necessary  to 
make  a  deed,  if  he  could  only  find  a  buyer 
when  he  got  there,  Freetown  lawyers  and 
judges  would  accept  no  title  that  he  could 
make.  However  he  found  a  customer  and 
sold  the  house  for  $2,250.00,  and  was  assured 
that  a  deed  signed  by  all  the  members  of  the 
Executive  Committee  would  be  satisfactory. 
The  deed  was  prepared,  sent  to  this  country, 
signed  by  the  committee  and  returned  to  the 
purchaser.  And  thus  ends  the  history  of  the 
Freetown  mission  house. 

The  main  mission  building,  referred  to  in  a 
former  chapter,  not  being  finished  yet,  and 
there  not  being  sufiicient  room  to  accommo- 
date him  and  Mr.  Williams  and  his  family,  he 
determined  to  return  home  as  soon  as  practic- 
able. He  was  the  more  anxious  to  return  by 
reason  of  the  terrible  war  going  on  in  this 
country,  and  the  news  that  was  circulated  in 
all  the  colonies  of  Sierre  Leone  that  England 
had  declared  war  against  the  United  States. 
From  these  and  other  considerations  not  neces- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  51 

sary  here  to  mention,  he  sailed  for  America, 
and  arrived  safely  in  Dayton  early  in  April, 
1862. 

Fearing  that  some  of  the  church  members 
who  did  not  understand  the  state  of  affairs  as 
well  as  they  might  would  take  offense,  or 
charge  him  with  spending  money  unnecessar- 
ily, Mr.  F.  generously  paid  his  own  expenses, 
amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  over  two  hun- 
dred dollars.  For  this  sacrifice  of  suffering, 
and  peril,  and  money  the  Board  of  Missions 
returned  him  a  vote  of  thanks ! 

It  will  thus  be  seen  how  Mr.  Flickinger  has 
labored  and  spent  money  to  establish  and  per- 
petuate the  mission  in  Africa.  Had  the  whole 
church  been  as  enthusiastic  in  its  prosecution 
it  would  soon  have  been  abundantly  supplied 
with  missionaries  and  means  to  make  it  a 
power  for  good  in  the  midst  of  the  works  of 
darkness  by  which  it  is  surrounded.  But  it 
appeared  to  be  necessary  that  somebody 
should  go  before,  show  the  importance  and 
practicability  of  the  undertaking,  and  thus, 
like  John  the  Baptist,  prepare  the  people  for 
the  work. 

.  But  there  was  a  cause  for  this  apathy  to- 
ward the  African  mission,  and  I  should  be 


52  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

unfaithful  to  my  convictions  if  I  omitted  the 
mention  of  it.  There  was  war  at  home; 
and  such  a  war  as  afflicted  every  household. 
The  slave-holders'  rebellion  had  put  the  life 
of  the  nation  in  jeopardy.  There  was  scarce- 
ly a  family  that  did  not  count  some  of  itf 
members  absent  engaged  in  the  work  of  sup 
pressing  this  gigantic  insurrection.  Their 
thoughts,  their  sympathies,  their  prayers, 
their  money  were  all  engaged  in  this  life  and 
death  struggle  of  the  nation. 

I:»^ow,  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  things  that 
an  individual  or  a  nation  can  be  so  intensely 
absorbed  in  two  things  at  one  time.  Farmers 
neglected  their  crops,  mechanics  their  shops, 
merchants  their  stores,  lawyers  and  doctors 
their  professions ;  and  it  is  not  strange  that 
the  United  Brethren  Church  somewhat  neg- 
lected her  African  mission,  while  the  nation 
was  passing  through  this  fiery  ordeal. 

The  Church  was  largely  engaged,  moreover, 
during  these  years  in  feeding,  clothing,  edu- 
cating, and  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  color- 
ed people  of  the  southern  states,  who  had 
recently  been  made  free  men  by  Abraham 
Lincoln's  proclamation  of  emancipation. 
While  therefore  I  admit  that  the  Church  was 


SHKR13R0    MISSION.  53 

rather  neglectful  of  her  foreign  mission  dur- 
ing these  four  eventful  years,  there  is  some 
apology  in  the  alacrity  with  which  she  as- 
sumed and  discharged  the  immense  responsi- 
bilities so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  thrown 
upon  her  by  the  slave-holders  rebellion  against 
the  very  existence  of  the  nation. 


CHAPTER  TX. 

Mr.   Ellhiemer's   visit  to  America — Marriage — Returns  to 
Africa — Joy  of  the  people — God's  approval. 

COMMITTING  the  care  of  the  mission  to 
that  faithful  man  of  God,  Mr.  Williams, 
Mr.  Bilhiemer  returned  to  America  for  the  trip- 
pie  purpose — whether  he  was  conscious  of  all 
these  purposes  at  the  time  I  can  not  say,  hut 
liut  so  it  turned  out — of  recruiting  his  health, 
stirring  up  the  zeal  of  the  Church  on  the 
missionary  question,  and  marrying  a  wife. 
He  remained  in  this  country  nearly  a  year, 
and  spent  the  time  visiting  annual  conferen- 
ces and  holding  special  missionary  meetings, 
instructing  the  people  on  the  wants  of  the 
heathen  in  Africa,  and  encouraging  them  to 
hope  and  labor  for  their  conversion  ;  and,  as 
we  intimated  in  a  former  chapter,  such  en- 
couragement was  never  more  necessary.  The 
people  needed  stirring.  By  his  lectures,  his 
prayers,  and  the  exhibition  of  curiosities 
brought    from    Africa,   among   which    were 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  55 

found  "certain  strange  gods,"  he  awakened 
the  people  somewhat  to  a  sense  of  duty. 
Meantime  his  health  slowly  improved,  and 
after  wedding  Miss  Amanda  L.  Hanby, 
daughter  of  Ex-bishop  Hanby,  he  again  sail- 
ed for  Africa  early  in  September,  1862.  His 
wife  was  a  well  educated,  deeply  pious  young 
lady,  and  as  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  as  himself, 

"When  it  was  known  that  he  and  his  wife 
had  consecrated  themselves  to  the  Shengay 
Mission  many  of  the  ministers  and  members 
of  the  Church  rejoiced,  took  courage,  and  re- 
newed their  devotion  to  the  prosecution  of 
that  work. 

When  the  Board  met  the  next  spring  they 
passed  a  resolution  assuring  them  of  their 
hearty  sympathy  and  cooperation,  and  pledg- 
ing them  "a  support  to  the  uttermost  cent 
their  resources  would  allow."  And  the  Board 
reflected  the  sentiments  of  nearly  the  whole 
church  whose  missionary  operations  they  were 
managing. 

If  there  was  increased  hope  and  faith  in  the 
Church  at  home,  there  was  gladness  and  joy, 
I  might  say  unbounded  enthusiasm,  among 
the  people  of  Shengay  when  Mr.  and   Mrs. 


56  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

Bilhiemer  arrived  at  the  station.  The  natives 
could  not  restrain  themselves.  They  knew 
not  how  to  manifest  their  gladness.  If  one 
had  come  to  them  from  the  dead  they  could 
not  have  been  more  overjoyed.  Mr.  Bilhiemer 
wrote :  "Mr.  Williams,  the  scholars,  and 
nearly  all  the  people  met  us  at  the  wharf.  We 
had  a  fine  time  shaking  hands.  There  were 
at  least  a  half  dozen  hands  extended  at  once. 
The  people  seem  greatly  rejoiced  over  my  re- 
turn, but  more  especially  are  they  pleased 
"wid  de  fine  misses."  We  have  had  visitors 
nearly  every  day.  We  are  thankful  the  peo- 
ple are  so  kindly  disposed  toward  us.  I  fear- 
ed lest  I  should  not  find  things  all  right  here; 
to  ray  astonishment  I  find  them  in  a  much 
better  condition  than  I  expected." 

At  the  same  time  Mrs.  Bilhiemer  wrote : 
*'As  Mr.  Bilhiemer  is  too  busy  to  write  about 
the  little  things  that  would  interest  you,  I 
would  do  a  little.  King  Caulker  is  very  sick 
(cause,  rum),  and  his  son  Stephen  also,  the 
latter  once  a  professor  of  religion,  and  is  still 
the  best  among  them.  I  think  his  afilictions 
may  be  the  means  of  bringing  him  back  to 
God. 

"You    may   remember   Ribbon,   the   lame 


3HERBR0   MISSION.  57 

fisher  boy.  He  has  been  sick  for  more  than  a 
month,  with  little  hope  of  recovery,  and 
should  he  die  I  think  his  soul  would  be  at 
rest.  I  shall  never  forget  with  what  earnest- 
ness and  delight  he  grasped  the  thought  that 
Christ  died  for  all  men.  *Yes,  sir,'  said  he, 
*he  died  for  black  man  as  well  as  white  man. 
He  done  die  for  me  own  self  all  the  same  like 
one  white  man.'  I  hope  soon  to  organize  a 
class  of  women  to  teach  reading,  sewing,  any- 
thing that  will  make  an  opportunity  to  tell 
them  about  the  blessed  Jesus." 

I  make  these  quotations  to  show  that  they 
went  not  only  to  a  large  but  a  ripe  field. 
Preachers  are  not  often  received  with  more 
enthusiasm  in  Christian  churches  in  America. 
Now,  why  were  the  poor  heathen  rejoiced  to 
see  these  missionaries  coming  ?  It  was  not 
the  hope  of  gain,  or  honor,  or  pleasure,  but 
because  they  felt  their  need  of  instruction  in 
divine  truth  and  believed  the  missionaries 
could  impart  it.  If  the  preparations  that 
Cornelius  had  made  to  receive  the  Apostle 
Peter,  and  the  eagerness  of  himself  and  the 
whole  company  assembled  to  "hear  words 
whereby  they  might  be  saved,"  was  the  divine 
approval  to  Peter  that  he  had  gone  to  the 


58  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

right  place  to  preach  Jesus  and  the  resurrec- 
tion, which  he  proceeded  immediately  to  do, 
how  much  more  ought  the  United  Brethren 
Church  helieve,  w^ien  she  considers  how  over- 
joyed the  poor  Africans  were  to  see  the  mes- 
senger of  the  cross  setting  foot  on  their  soil, 
that  God  had  called  them  to  this  work?  Why 
should  any  have  hesitated  ?  Yet  at  this  very 
period  there  was  a  sharp  controversy  carri- 
ed on  in  the  Religious  Telescope,  between  old 
and  well  tried  ministers  of  the  Church,  as  to 
whether  it  was  our  duty  to  send  missionaries 
to  Africa !     Tell  it  not  in  Gath ! 

"How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that 
preach  the  gospel  of  peace,  and  bring  glad 
tidings  of  good  things  !"  There  is  every  rea- 
son to  believe  that  the  Africans,  in  no  small 
numbers,  from  first  to  last,  have  received  our 
missionaries  most  gladly,  not  for  their  own 
sakes  merely,  but  because  they  were  the  mes- 
sengers of  God,  come  to  proclaim  to  them  life 
and  salvation.  It  was  the  message  they  bore 
that  made  their  feet  beautiful  in  the  eyes  of 
them  who  had  always  sat  in  the  darkness  of 
death.  With  such  proofs  of  God's  approval 
the  Church  should  never  falter  in  the  prose- 
cution of  the  Sherbro  Mission. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Climate — Seasons — Sickness. 

HAYING  SO  often  alluded  to  the  sickness 
of  our  missionaries  I  will  now  give  my 
readers  an  account  of  the  climate  and  seasons  of 
Africa.  The  continent  of  Africa  is  very  large. 
Of  the  five  great  natural  divisions  of  the 
globe  Africa  is  second  in  size.  Asia,  the  larg- 
est, has  sixteen  millions  of  square  miles ;  Eu- 
rope, the  smallest,  three  and  a  half  millions ; 
North  America,  eight  millions:  South  Ameri- 
ca, seven  millions ;  Africa,  eleven  millions  of 
square  miles.  Nearly  all  of  this  vast  conti- 
nent lies  in  the  Torrid  Zone,  and  has  therefore 
a  much  w^armer  climate  than  any  of  the  other 
grand  divisions  of  the  globe.  The  average 
temperature  at  Shengay  and  Freetown  is 
about  eighty-six  degrees,  which  is  nearly 
equal  to  our  hottest  weather  in  this  country. 
But  as  the  days  and  nights  are  almost  equal 
the  year  round  the  heat  is  not  so  oppressive 
as  might  be  supposed.     The  longest  days  at 


60  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

the  mission  are  not  quite  twelve  hours  and  a 
half,  and  the  shortest  days  about  eleven  and  a 
half  hours.  Hence  you  see  their  days  and 
nights,  as  to  their  length,  are  about  like  ours 
in  March  and  September.  Like  it  is  here, 
the  nights  are  cooler  than  the  days.  In  fact 
they  never  have  such  hot  nights  as  we  often 
have  in  June,  when  the  days  are  sixteen,  and 
the  nights  only  eight  hours  in  length.  The 
nights  are  always  coohin  Africa,  the  days  al- 
ways warm.  This  continued  warm  weather 
makes  the  people  lazy.  They  do  not  feel  like 
work,  and  it  makes  no  diflerence  whether 
they  have  thick  dresses,  thin  dresses,  or  no 
dresses  at  all.  When  June  with  its  teeming 
showers,  singing  birds,  and  glowing  foliage 
and  flowers  smiles  upon  them-  they  have  no 
fear  or  care  for  January.  They  know  it  will 
be  as  warm  as  June,  and  do  not  trouble  them- 
selves to  procure  much  clothing  or  build  warm 
houses.  A  mere  shanty,  or  no  shelter  at  all 
will  do,  so  they  think;  and  thus  thousands  of 
them  eat,  and  sleep,  and  die  without  appar- 
ently rising  much  higher  in  the  scale  of  hu- 
man beings  than  the  beasts  that  perish. 

They  do  not  there,  as  here,  speak  of  spring, 
summer,  autumn,and  winter;  for  although  they 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  61 

liave  the  same  months  it  is  not  the  same  kind  of 
weather.  They  have  but  two  seasons,  a  dry 
and  a  rainy  one.  They  have  from  seven  to 
eight  months  without  any  rain  at  all,  and  then 
four  or  five  months  of  rainy  weather.  These 
rainy  seasons  commence  with  violent  torna- 
dos, and  close  up  in  much  the  same  way.  The 
most  piercing  and  vivid  lightning  and  the 
most  terrific  thunder,  accompanied  with  vio- 
lent, sweeping  winds,  such  as  we  seldom  wit- 
ness here,  are  as  sure  to  visit  the  western  coast 
of  Africa  as  the  months  continue  to  come  and 
go.  After  a  few  days,  however,  these  storms 
of  wind  cease,  and  then  the  rainy  season  be- 
comes, to  Americans  especially,  even  more 
pleasant  than  the  dry  season,  because  it  is 
considerably  cooler.  Were  it  not  much 
more  sickly  than  the  dry,  it  would  be  the 
more  delightful  season  of  the  two.  For  the 
reader  must  understand  it  does  not  rain  all 
the  time.  Far  from  it.  Sometimes  a  rain  will 
continue  to  fall  incessantly  for  a  day  and  a  half, 
but  it  generally  ceases  in  about  twelve  hours, 
Then  they  will  have  from  one  to  three  days  of 
beautiful,  clear  weather,  and  after  that  anoth- 
er rain,  till  toward  the  close  of  the  rainy  sea- 
son, when  thej^  will  have  some  more  violent 


62  SHERBUO   MISSION. 

tornadoes.  After  these  have  passed  the  dry 
season  returns,  and  they  have  no  more  rain 
for  about  eight  months;  but,  in  the  absence  of 
rain,  they  have  heavy  dews,  so  that  it  does  not 
become  so  dry  as  many  would  suppose. 

This  continual  warm  weather  keeps  the 
forests  always  green.  The  leaves  are  always 
falling  and  always  forming,  so  that  there  is  no 
perceptible  difference  from  one  month  to  an- 
other. The  savannas,  or  prairies  as  we  would 
call  them,  are  always  green,  birds  always  sing, 
flowers  always  bloom,  and  fruits,  and  grains, 
and  vegetables  are  always  maturing.  !N"o 
frosts  to  wither  anything.  It  is  perpetual 
spring.     How  delightful ! 

But  there  is  no  rose  without  its  thorn. 
This  continued  wet  weather  of  the  rainy 
season,  heat  of  all  seasons,  the  extensive 
swamps  that  abound  on  the  coast,  and  the 
matchless  growth  and  decay  of  vegetable 
matter  are  the  sources  of  a  great  deal  of 
sickness  among  the  people.  This  sickness 
is  caused  by  the  malaria  or  poison  arising 
from  the-  decay  of  vegetation.  It  is  the 
same  kind  of  poison  and  the  same  kind  of 
sickness  that  we  have  in  this  country,  but 
it   is    far  worse.     We   here   have   ague   and 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  b6 

billions  fever.  There  they  are  taken  with 
a  chill  or  shake,  and  this  will  be  followed 
with  high  fever,  continuing  several  hours, 
when  it  goes  ofi',  and  the  patient  may  feel 
quite  well  till  the  next  chill  draws  on,  which 
will  be  more  severe,  and,  if  he  be  a  for- 
eigner, he  may  die  in  a  few  days,  or  the 
fever  may  continue  for  weeks  and  even 
months  before  he  dies,  or,  after  passing 
through  a  protracted  period  of  suffering, 
he  may  recover,  if  he  has  a  good  constitu- 
tion and  is  properly  treated  by  his  physician. 
The  natives  suffer  much  from  these  malar- 
ial diseases,  though  they  fare  much  better 
than  strangers  before  they  are  thoroughly 
acclimated.  Yet  people  live  and  die  in  Af- 
rica, after  all,  much  as  in  every  other  coun- 
try. Sickness  prevails  more  or  less  every- 
where in  this  world,  and  death,  by  one 
cause  or  another,  comes  to  all.  If  the  for- 
ests were  cleared,  the  swamps  drained,  and 
the  habits  of  the  people  improved,  as  in 
this  and  other  civilized  countries,  I  have 
no  doubt  that  the  health  fulness  of  Africa 
would  be  greatly  increased.  If  the  gospel 
be  once  heartily  embraced  by  the  great 
body    of  the    people,    we    may    reasonably 


64  SHBRBRO   MISSION. 

expect  that  the  natural  resources  of  the 
country,  more  numerous  and  extensive  per- 
haps than  any  other  on  the  globe,  will  be 
fully  developed.  Thus  while  the  gospel  will 
save  their  souls  in  heaven  it  will  also  great- 
ly bless  them,  as  it  has  us,  soul  and  body, 
in  this  world. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Religion— Superstition — The  gospel  their  only  hope. 

SO  far  as  known  the  Africans  all  have 
some  ideas  of  religion  and  all  worship 
something.  The  Mandingoes  (book-men), 
and  many  others  are  Mohammedans.  They 
profess  to  believe  in  the  true  God,  but  they 
have  very  crude  notions  of  the  character 
and  will  of  God,  and  they  deny  entirely 
the  redemption  of  the  world  by  Jesus  Christ. 
Indeed  the  great  majority  of  those  who  ac- 
cept the  relip:ion  of  Mohammet  know  noth- 
ing of  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  what  they 
call  religion  serves  only  to  confuse  the  mind 
and  prevent  them  from  accepting  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus.  These  Mohammedans  are 
as  ignorant,  selfish,  and  superstitious  as  the 
grosser  heathen.  In  fact  their  thoughts  and 
superstitions  seem  to  pervade  the  whole 
population  to  a  greater  or  less  degree. 
They  attach  great  weight  to  charms,  signs, 
greegrees,  and  the  like.  A  greegree  is  from 
5 


66  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

one  to  six  inches  square,  made  of  two  or 
three  thicknesses  of  stiff  leather  sewed  to- 
gether, and  containing  a  few  letters  or  sen- 
tences of  Arabic  writing.  These  they  carry 
about  their  persons.  One  greegree  is  sup- 
posed to  keep  off  diseases,  another  wild 
animals,  and  a  third  to  prevent  national 
calamities,  such  as  war,  pestilence,  and  fam- 
ine. They  have  so  much  faith  in  these 
greegrees  and  reverence  for  them  that  it 
amounts  to  idolatry.  If  they  worship  any- 
thing they  worship  the  greegrees. 

Others  worship  the  devil.  They  think 
he  has  the  control  of  the  world,  and  that 
the  everlasting  destiny  of  men  is  committed 
to  him.  True,  they  suppose  that  there  is  a 
great  God,  the  first  cause  of  all  things,  but 
they  believe  that  men  are  so  ignorant,  pol- 
luted, and  worthless  that  God  takes  no  notice 
of  them.  He  is  so  exalted  and  with  all  so 
busy  in  other  matters  that  he  does  not  con- 
cern himself  about  the  wants  or  worship  of 
human  beings.  Hence  they  turn  to  the 
devil.  They  build  houses  to  worship  him 
in,  some  for  public  and  others  for  private 
use.  They  sacrifice  to  him,  cook  victuals 
and   put   in   his  houses,   and   verily  believe 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  67 

that  his  Satanic  majesty  comes  and  eats  up 
what  they  take  him  !  Of  course  they  be- 
come more  and  more  liko  the  being  whom 
they  worship. 

Still  others  make  images  or  statues  of 
stone,  iron,  lead,  wood,  or  anything  that 
they  imagine  will  answer  the  purpose.  These 
are  usually  of  the  crudest  workmanship. 
The  specimens  our  missionaries  have  brought 
to  this  country  are  hideous  looking  things. 
Yet  the  poor  deluded  heathen  bow  to  them 
and  worship  them,  believing  there  will  come 
to  them  some  good,  some  praise,  or  honor, 
or  good  luck,  on  account  of  the  service  they 
have  rendered  the  gods,  for  none  are  satis- 
fied with  one  god.  They  have  gods  many 
and  lords  many.  They  are  not  very  par- 
ticular what  they  worship.  Many  worship 
the  earth,  saying  they  believe  it  to  be  the 
wife  of  God !  Some  worship  serpents,  creep- 
ing things,  four  footed  beasts,  fowls  of  the 
air,  the  stars  of  heaven,  everything  and  any- 
thing but  the  true  God !  One  of  the  church 
missionaries  from  England  says  he  saw  a 
crowd  of  people  assembled  "offering  sacri- 
fices to  a  common  ball  and  three  decanter 
stoppers,  recommending  themselves  and  their 


68  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

children  to  tlie  favor  of  that  evil  spirit  of 
whom  the  ball  and  stoppers  were  the  repre- 
sentatives. They  say,  like  the  Roman  Cath- 
olics of  the  pictures,  that  when  they  address 
the  ball  and  glass  stopper  they  speak  not 
to  them,  but  to  the  devil  that  lives  in  the 
bush"  (woods). 

This   state   of  ignorance  and   superstition 

has  continued  for  thousands  of  years.     The 

children    learn    nothing    better    from    their 

parents,   and    until    some    people    who    are 

instructed  in  the  way  of  life  through  Jesus 

Christ   go   and  preach   the  gospel   to   them 

there  is  no  hope  that  they  will  come  to  any 

better  state  for  thousands  of  years  to  come. 

But  will  the  gospel  better   their  condition  ? 

Certainly  it  will.     If  any   doubt,   let  them 

look  at    England,    France,    Germany,    any 

Christian    country,    and    let  them    consider 

that  they  all  and  each  were  once  as  ignorant, 

superstitious,  selfish   and   idolatrous,  within 

the  period  recorded  by  reliable  historians,  as 

are    the     negroes    of    west    Africa    to-day. 

Their  degradation,  then,   instead  of  causing 

them  to  be  a  hissing  and  by  word,  should 

stir  the   depths  of   our  souls  with  emotions 

akin  to  those  which  moved  the  Lord  Jesus 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  69 

to  come  into  the  world,  and  in  due  time  to 
die  for  the  ungodly.  Just  as  man  has  dem- 
onstrated by  thousands  of  years  of  degra- 
dation his  incapacity  to  rise  out  of  his  idol- 
atrous state  of  himself,  the  gospel  has 
proved  itself  thousands  of  times  to  be  a 
sovereign  balm  for  all  the  ills  that  afflict 
humanity. 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

Agriculture — Horticulture. 

THERE  is,  perhaps,  no  country  in  the 
world  where  the  soil  and  climate  are 
so  favorable  for  the  farmer  and  fruit  grower. 
But  the  natives  know  nothing  about  tilling 
the  soil.  Rice  is  the  chief  crop.  This  they 
scatter  about  over  the  ground  without  any 
previous  plowing  or  preparation  of  any  kind, 
and  then  scratch  the  ground  a  little  with  a 
hoe.  Nothing  more  is  done  till  harvest, 
about  four  months  from  the  time  of  sowing. 
Then  they  send  some  of  the  old  people  and 
children  out  of  the  town  (all  of  the  Africans 
live  in  towns)  to  lodge  in  some  miserable  hut 
about  the  middle  of  the  rice  field,  to  chase 
away  the  vast  flocks  of  rice  birds  that  now 
appear  to  devour  the  crop.  They  cut  off  the 
stalks  close  to  the  ground,  tie  them  up  in 
small  bundles  or  sheaves,  and  lay  them  on 
stumps  and  stones  to  dry  for  threshing. 
They  frequently  raise  two  crops  of  rice  a 
year  on  the  same  piece  of  land. 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  71 

Cotton  grows  luxuriously.  It  is  a  natural 
product  of  the  soil.  They  raise  two  crops 
a  year  from  the  same  land.  They  also  raise 
coffee,  but  they  pay  little  attention  to  it  as 
yet.  One  tree  at  Monrovia,  the  capital  of 
Liberia,  is  reported  to  have  yielded  thirty 
pounds  at  a  single  gathering.  If  the  natives 
could  be  induced  to  clear  their  lands,  lay 
them  off  in  small  farms  and  properly  culti- 
vate these  three  products,  rice,  cotton,  and 
coffee,  it  would  enable  them  to  live  in  a  state 
of  ease  and  elegance  unknown  to  any  other 
farmers  in  the  world.  But  this  is  not  all. 
Sugar  cace  grows  almost  spontaneously. 
There  is  probably  no  country  in  the  world 
where  sugar  cane  is  more  easily  cultivated,  or 
yields  a  better  crop,  either  as  to  quantity  or 
quality.  Then  they  have  cam  wood  in  un- 
limited quantities.  Red  wood,  bar  wood,  and 
other  dyes  also  abound. 

Palm  oil  is  abundant.  This  oil  is  procur- 
ed from  the  dates  that  grow  on  the  palm- 
trees.  The  people  live  chiefly  on  rice  and 
palm  oil.  Palm  oil  is  used  with  many  articles 
of  diet.  It  is  to  the  African  what  butter  is  to 
the  American.  The  palm-tree,  moreover,  is 
perhaps  the  most  useful  tree  in  their  forests. 


72  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

The  inner  bark  is  manufactured  into  a  thick 
cloth.  The  leaves  form  an  excellent  thatch, 
or  roof  for  houses.  From  the  outer  bark 
they  manufacture  baskets,  mats,  &c.  Be- 
sides the  oil  derived  from  dates,  it  is  proper 
to  add  that  the  dates  themselves,  which  are 
nearly  as  large  as  hens'  eggs,  are  esteemed  a 
great  luxury.  Indian  corn,  wherever  it  is 
cultivated,  yields  abundantly.  This  of  itself 
will  some  day  be  a  great  source  of  wealth. 

As  to  fruits,  there  is  a  great  variety  and  an 
endless  supply.  Figs,  olives,  pine  apples, 
oranges,  cocoa  nuts,  lemons,  bananas,  grapes, 
plums,  and  many  more  varieties.  But  the 
people  pay  little  attention  to  growing  fruit. 
What  mother  earth  brings  forth  of  herself 
they  use  without  striving  to  increase  the 
quantity  or  improve  the  quality. 

In  addition  to  all  this  there  is  probably  no 
country  richer  in  its  mineral  resources.  The 
country  is  well  watered,  well  supplied  with 
stone,  and  every  material  that  is  needed  in 
the  highest  state  of  civilization. 

With  such  a  wealth  of  natural  resources 
this  ought  to  be  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful countries  in  the  world.  Such  it  will  be- 
come if  the  people  can  be  lifted  out  of  their 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  73 

state  of  barbarism.  And  as  they  are  begging 
the  Christian  people  of  other  countries  to 
come  and  teach  them,  we  may  be  sure  their 
redemption  draweth  nigh. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Sickness  of  missionaries — Mr.  Bilhiemer's  final  return  to 
America — Mr.  Williams  alone — Prospects. 

IT  was  now  thought  by  the  Board  that  the 
mission  would  soon  be  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition. Mr.  Bilhiemer  and  his  wife,  and  Mr. 
Williams  and  his  wife  were  all  employed.  This 
was  believed  to  be  the  Lord's  time  to  favor 
our  Zion.  But,  alas,  for  human  expectation  ! 
Mr.  Bilhiemer  had  scarcely  gone  to  work 
before  the  African  fever,  which  he  had  fondly 
hoped  had  been  entirely  removed  by  the  few 
months  stay  which  he  had  enjoyed  in  Amer- 
ica, returned  and  soon  quite  prostrated  him. 
Mrs.  Bilhiemer  was  also  attacked  with  fever, 
and  as  months  wore  away  there  were  few 
days  when  they  were  both  able  to  be  up  and 
at  work.  One  or  the  other  was  sick  nearly 
all  the  time.  Sometimes  neither  was  able  to 
help  the  other.  And  to  make  the  matter  still 
worse,  Mr.  Williams  and  his  family  suffered 
much  affliction  also.     In  the  hope  of  improv- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  75 

ing  their  health,  Mr.  Williams  removed  to 
Freetown,  and  continued  there,  from  time  to 
time,  most  of  the  period  Mr.  Bilhiemer  re- 
mained at  the  mission.  They  strove  hard  to 
have  regular  prayers  morning  and  evening 
at  the  mission,  to  teach  a  day  school,  a  Sab- 
bath-school, and  to  have  preaching  every 
Sabbath.  Their  hearts  and  hopes  alike 
prompted  them  to  undertake  much,  but 
their  strength  failed.  Their  labors  v^ere 
often  interrupted.  At  times  they  could  do 
little  more  than  suffer  for  Christ's  sake. 
This  indeed  was  a  great  deal,  and  they  felt 
entirely  willing  to  suffer,  but  they  well  knew 
that  this  would  not  teach  the  people  the 
way  of  life.  At  this  time  Mr.  Bilhiemer 
wrote : 

"The  rainy  season  is  now  nearly  past, 
and  we  have  had  a  wet  and  unhealthy 
time.  Both  Mrs.  Bilhiemer  and  myself 
have  suffered  much  within  the  past  live 
months.  I  was  kept  indoors  for  weeks  to- 
gether, and  for  nearly  five  weeks  I  was  una- 
ble to  have  family  worship.  Mrs.  Bilhiemer 
was  not  out  of  the  house  for  three  months. 
Mr.  Williams  was  also  ill,  and  in  Freetown 
from  June  to  August.     The  change  of  season 


76  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

lias  brought  a  change  of  feeling  for  the  better 
in  me." 

But  Mr.  Bilhiemer  seems  soon  to  have 
become  thoroughly  convinced  that  his  work 
in  Africa  was  about  done,  and  commenced 
to  urge  the  Board  to  send  reenforcements, 
telling  them  that  he  would  shortly  have  to 
leave  Africa.  He  thought  it  useless  to  re- 
main there  when  he  could  not  work,  and  he 
had  no  hope  of  recovering  his  health  if  he 
remained.  The  Board  heard,  but  hoped  even 
against  hope  that  Mr.  Bilhiemer's  health 
would  improve,  and  that  he  would  remain. 
"The  wish  was  father  to  the  thought."  The 
people  of  this  country  were  engaged,  from 
the  greatest  to  the  least,  in  the  heat  and 
strife  and  suffering  of  a  great  national 
war,  and  the  Board,  as  before  mentioned, 
had  new  and  nnexpected  openings  for 
missionary  labor;  and  these  openings  were 
such  as  could  not  be  neglected  or  post- 
poned. Hence  they  employed  a  number 
of  missionaries  and  teachers  to  labor  among 
the  thousands  of  freedmen  whose  fetters 
had  been  just  broken  off  by  the  Union 
army.  Such  was  the  din  and  strife  and 
anxiety  of  the  time  that  the  Church  had  its 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  77 

attention  partially  drawn  away  from  Africa. 
Meantime  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bilhiemer,  again 
committing  the  charge  of  the  mission  to  Mr. 
Williams,  sailed  for  America,  arriving  at 
home  about  the  first  of  May,  1864.  They 
were  both  quite  feeble,  and  suffered  much 
after  their  return,  but  finally  regained  their 
wonted  health. 

Mr.  Bilhiemer  had  now  spent  seven  years  in 
the  prosecution  of  this  mission ;  and  though 
he  sometimes  became  discouraged  with  the 
Board,  the  Church,  and  with  himself,  he  never 
for  a  moment  doubted  that  with  faithful,  per- 
severing labor  the  United  Brethren  Church 
would  yet  be  successful  in  bringing  many  of 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  benighted  Africa 
to  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  a  sore  trial  to  part 
from  the  mission,  but  such  was  the  reduced 
state  of  his  constitution  that  he  was  obliged 
finally  to  relinquish  all  hope  of  ever  return- 
ing to  Shengay  Station  as  a  missionary. 

Mr.  Williams  now  removed  to  the  sta- 
tion and  renewed  his  devotion  to  the  mis- 
sion. The  Board  failed  to  send  him  any 
assistance  for  some  time,  but  trusting  in  the 
Lord  he  labored  on,  prayed,  and  quietly 
waited   for   the   salvation  ot  God.     Kor  did 


78  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

he  labor  or  hope  in  vain.  He  had  the  pleas- 
ure— the  greatest  delight  of  the  faithful 
preacher  of  the  gospel — of  seeing  the  people 
awaking  up  out  of  their  stupor,  and  inquir- 
ing after  salvation.  He  wrote  the  corre- 
sponding secretary  a  letter  a  few  months  after 
Mr.  Bilhiemer's  return  to  America,  which  so 
well  reflects  the  character  and  labors  of  the 
man,  as  well  as  the  condition  and  prospects 
of  our  work,  that  I  give  it  entire. 

"Freetown,  Sieree  Leone,  Oct.  20,  1864. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Sir: — Your  letters 
were  duly  received  on  the  17th  day  of  Au- 
gust, and  I  must  acknowledge  that  they  were 
like  life  put  into  a  dead  body  to  me.  I  wrote 
to  Bro.  Bilhiemer  in  June,  and  had  never 
received  an  answer  till  the  above  date,  when 
both  of  your  letters  were  handed  to  me  by 
Brother  Whiton,  from  Booth,  on  his  way  to 
town.  I  read  them  not  only  to  myself,  but 
to  the  people.  All  that  were  present  that 
day  in  the  chapel  seemed  to  be  well  pleased. 

"It  is  always  encouraging  to  us  when  we 
receive  letters  from  you,  especially  to  learn 
that  the  Christians  are  praying  for  us,  which 
is  indeed  cheering.     May  the  good  Lord  hear 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  79 

those  prayers,  and  open  the  windows  of  heav- 
en and  rain  down  his  blessings  in  abundance 
on  this  part  of  the  vineyard.  Dear  brother, 
if  we  look  at  the  work  of  laboring  in  Africa, 
viewing  it  from  a  human  stand-point  exclu- 
sively, it  seems  a  hopeless  task,  but  I  believe 
God's  word  is  a  pledge  for  it,  for  God  has 
spoken  good  things  concerning  Zion  in  Afri- 
ca, even  Shengay,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  and  I 
trust  the  day  draweth  nigh  when  it  shall  be 
redeemed.  I  look  forward  with  joy  and 
ardent  hope  that  the  morning  will  dawn. 

**Permit  your  servant  to  ask  the  young 
Christians  in  the  churches  this  simple  ques- 
tion, 'Why  don't  you  come  over  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  poor  perishing  souls  in  obedi- 
ence to  our  Master's  great  command  ?'  Are 
they  afraid  of  the  fever  ?  Do  they  forget  the 
promise?  Has  he  not  promised  to  go  with 
his  heralds  even  to  the  end  ?  I  will  do  my 
best  depending  on  him.  I  am  longing  for 
the  time  when  I  shall  be  able  to  speak  the 
language  freely.  Then  I  will  tell  them  more 
of  Jesus.  At  present  I  can  only  impart  in- 
struction to  those  few  who  can  understand 
me,  but  I  trust  the  time  will  soon  come  when 
I  will  be  able  to  go  from  village  to  village, 


80  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

sowing  or  scattering  the  seed  of  the  gos- 
pel. 

"You  are  aware  that  I  have  no  interpret- 
er. The  lirst  Sabbath  of  October,  as  I  was 
preaching  in  the  harry,  Mr.  George  Caulker 
offered  his  services  as  an  interpreter.  The 
coiintr}^  people  were  astonished  at  this,  for 
he  was  a  young  man  that  never  attended  or 
came  near  where  the  word  of  God  is  preach- 
ed. At  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting  I  was 
obliged  to  exclaim,  "  What  hath  God 
wrought !" 

At  another  time  he  wrote :  "  I  am  in 
favor  of  holding  meetings  on  Sabbath  at 
Shengay  town  harry,  (court-house),  for  there 
you  can  get  all  the  slaves  as  well  as  the 
freedmen  to  attend ;  but  they  seem  afraid  to 
come  to  the  chapel,  though  I  do  not  think 
they  are  prevented  by  their  owners.  I  have 
held  a  number  of  meetings  there  during  the 
past  year.  I  am  glad  to  announce  that  many 
of  the  natives  begin  to  see  the  foolishness  of 
their  devil-worship.  I  am  also  happy  to 
state  that  the  Sabbath  is  w^ell  observed  by 
the  natives  of  Shengay.  If  a  stranger 
should  happen  to  put  a  shore  there  on  Sun- 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  81 

day  he  would  at  once   know,  without  being 
told,  tliat  it  was  the  Lord's  day." 

Time  passed.  The  Board  sought  more 
laborers,  but  they  were  hard  to  find.  Some 
promised  to  go  after  a  while ;  others  were 
willing  to  go  if  they  felt  it  to  be  their  duty 
to  go,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter 
of  excuses.  In  the  mean  time  a  number  of 
persons  accepted  appointments  from  the 
Board  for  that  field,  among  whom  may  be 
named,  Prof.  "W.  T.  Jackson,  Kev.  R.  West, 
Rev.  W.  O.  Grimm,  but  for  one  reason  or  an- 
other neither  of  them  ever  went,  so  that 
Brother  Williams  was  left  to  manage  the 
mission  as  best  he  could  alone. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.   Hadley — Arrival    in    Africa — Difficulty  of 
reaching  the  heathen— Meeting  of  the  Board. 

BUT  these  delays  and  discouragements 
did  not  dishearten  the  Church.  The 
war  had  closed.  The  freedmen  were  engag- 
ing the  sympathy  and  moral  and  material 
support  of  all  the  churches  in  America.  All 
seemed  to  feel  that  Africa  had  come  to  our 
doors.  In  this  state  of  things  the  United 
Brethren  Church  very  justly  concluded  that 
while  she  might  palliate  her  feeble  efforts  in 
Africa  by  the  help  she  had  rendered  the 
freedmen,  she  could  not  justify  the  giving 
up  of  that  mission  on  any  grounds  whatso- 
ever. "We  had  gone  too  far  to  think  of 
retreating.     The  work  must  go  on. 

The  Board  therefore  resolved  to  increase 
its  efforts  to  carry  forward  the  work  already 
begun.  In  response  to  a  call  made  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  the  Eev.  0.  Hadley,  of 
the  St.  Joseph  Conference,  answered,  "Here 


SHERBRO  Mission?.  83 

am  I ;  send  me,"  and  his  amiable  and  zealous 
Christian  wife  answered,  "Even  so ;  send  us." 
Of  course  so  excellent  a  man  and  minister  as 
Mr.  Hadley  was  known  to  be,  was  appointed 
at  the  earliest  convenience  of  the  committee. 
Without  ceremony  or  delay  they  went  to 
New  York,  and  on  the  22d  of  October,  1866, 
they  sailed  for  Africa.  After  a  tedious  voyage 
of  forty-five  days — twenty  days  longer  than 
was  expected — and  much  sea  sickness,  they 
landed  at  Freetown.  Of  this  sickness  Mr. 
Hadley  good  humoredly  says  :  ""We  tried  to 
frown  it  down  for  a  time,  but  saw  that  it  was 
useless,  and  then  ^turned  in'  and  tamely  sub- 
mitted to  our  fate.  Well  it  gave  us  a  terrible 
round.  Others  have  spoken  of  it  as  a  lu- 
dicrous, harmless  disease ;  but  that  was  not 
the  kind  we  had.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
after  any  one  has  had  such  an  acquaintance 
with  it  as  we  have,  he  will  have  a  degree  of 
respect  for  it,  if  no  affection." 

After  describing  the  condition  of  the  mis- 
sion property  and  surrounding  scenery,  Mr. 
Hadley  continues :  "I  never  can  be  satisfied 
till  I  see  some  of  our  people  soundly  convert- 
ed to  Christ.  We  feel  that  the  Lord  is  with 
us.     About  thirty  or   forty   persons    attend 


84  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

services  on  Sabbath.  We  have  had  some 
three  applications  by  parents  or  friends  for  us 
to  take  children  to  school,  but  we  are  not 
prepared  for  this  yet." 

Mr.  Hadley,  like  all  his  predecessors,  on 
looking  round  and  seeing  how  much  there 
was  to  do,  and  the  urge  nt  need  of  its  being 
soon  done,  and  considering  the  resources  of 
the  church  at  home,  was  filled  with  amaze- 
ment. Why  the  Board,  prompted  by  the 
prayers  and  contributions  of  the  Church, 
could  help  sending  more  missionaries,  was  to 
him  a  mystery.  The  following  quotation  is 
from  his  second  letter: 

*^Our  morning  and  evening  prayers  have  in 
attendance  about  fifteen  or  twenty  persons, 
and  our  Sabbath  services  about  double  that 
number.  I  have  preached  once  at  Shengay. 
I  had  quite  a  good  congregation,  and  felt 
that  I  was  doing  good.  But  I  am  grieved 
that  we  can  not  get  at  the  poor  people.  There 
are  scarcely  any  children  attending  our  day- 
school  but  the  Caulker  family.  Some  of  the 
poor  slaves  seem  to  think  that  the  benefits  of 
the  mission  are  designed  for  this  family,  and 
they  themselves  seemed  to  think  that  when  I 
came  their   children  would   be  fed,  clothed. 


SIIERBRO    MISSION.  85 

and  educated  by  the  mission.  We  have  been 
visited  by  the  old  man  and  most  of  the  fami- 
ly. The  old  man  was  quite  sensible  and  in- 
clined to  talk  of  religion,  but  many  of  the 
others,  I  think,  are  only  running  after  pres- 
ents. But  they  have  learned  generally  that 
I  did  not  come  to  make  presents  and  help 
them  temporally.  Why,  sir,  one  of  the  dig- 
nitaries of  this  family,  who  lives  some  dis- 
tance from  here,  said  he  did  not  want  the 
missionaries  to  come  into  his  part  of  the 
country,  as  all  the  people  would  then  become 
smart.  Do  you  see  ?  The  very  same  hydra- 
headed,  cloven- footed,  pro-slavery  demon 
which  tried  to  rule  America.  But  I  believe 
that  God  will  make  the  truth,  and  the  right 
prevail  here  as  he  has  there.  These  are  the 
Pharisees  of  this  country,  who  stand  in  the 
door  of  the  kingdom  and  prevent  them  from 
going  in  wlio  would. 

"Oh,  if  I  could  only  speak  the  Sherbro 
tongue,  so  that  I  could  go  into  the  hovels  of 
the  poor  and  teach  them  of  Christ,  how  great 
would  be  the  door  opened  to  do  good  !  But 
we  are  constrained  to  think  that  Christ  is 
with  us.  Some  of  our  men  are  serious,  and 
I  am  praying  every  day  for  their  conversion. 


80  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

I  want  the  tongue  of  a  new  convert  to  preach 
Christ  all  around  here,  and  stir  up  the  dry 
bones.  I  think  Satan  is  out  of  humor,  and 
therefore  am  encouraged  in  the  Lord.  There 
is  a  large  field  opened,  and  plenty  of  work 
to  do,  it  we  are  only  prepared  to  do  it." 

It  will  be  seen  by  these  extracts  that  Mr. 
Hadley  had  both  the  head  and  heart  of  a  mis- 
sionary. He  comprehended  the  situation  at 
a  glance,  and  he  impressed  himself  on  the 
natives  as  one  who  had  come  to  them  for  a 
great  and  good  purpose.  Perhaps  there  never 
was  a  man  more  fully  consecrated  to  the  cause 
of  missions  than  was  Mr.  Hadley. 

These  stirring  words  from  our  missionaries 
had  a  good  effect  in  the  Church.  They  did 
much  to  overcome  prejudice  and  remove  op- 
position that  existed  in  the  minds  of  some  of 
the  members  of  the  Church.  When  the 
Board  met  in  May,  1867,  it  was  resolved  to 
build  a  new  chapel  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
renew  our  devotion  to  that  work.  Pending 
the  adoption  of  this  resolution  Mr.  Flickinger, 
the  corresponding  secretary,  said:  "I  am 
perplexed ;  I  never  had  a  doubt  of  the  pro- 
priety of  its  commencement ;  I  am  confident 
that  God  in  his  providence  favored  its  loca- 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  87 

tiou  ;  but,  in  view  of  existing  difficulties,  I 
sometimes  think  it  would  be  well  to  step  aside 
and  let  some  one  else  take  the  work  in  hand, 
and  do  with  it  as  seeraeth  best.  We  have  a 
good  location  in  Africa — one  of  the  best  on 
the  whole  coast.  It  is  just  on  the  borders  of 
civilization.  But  there  are  some  good  men 
in  the  Church  who  are  opposed  to  it,  and  are 
exerting  tbeir  influence  against  it.  In  view  of 
this  it  is  hard  to  proceed ;  and  yet  we  have 
never  given  the  African  mission  a  fair  trial. 
It  is  a  wonder  we  have  succeeded  even  as  well 
as  we  have.  I^ot  uDtil  we  have  given  it  a  fair 
trial  can  I  consent  to  its  discontinuance." 

Mr.  Kemp  said  ''the  African  mission  had 
given  the  Church  about  all  the  missionary 
zeal  it  ever  had.  He  was  determined  not  to 
be  discouraged.  He  had  heard  many  dispar- 
aorino-  remarks  from  sources  from  whence 
we  should  expect  better  things.  One  brother 
complained  that  our  missionary  had  spent 
two  hundred  dollars  going  to  Teneriffe  Island 
to  recruit  his  health  !  He  felt  that  the  Church 
needed  a  fresh  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
enable  her  to  prosecute  the  work,  both  home 
and  foreign,  with  greater  vigor." 


CHAPTER  XV, 

Mr.  Hadley's  first  year — Strong  faith— Discouragements — 
Mohammedans. 

DURIN"G  the  first  year  of  their  stay  in 
Africa  Mr.  Hadley  was  afiiicted  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  time,  yet  he  was 
cheerful  and  hopeful.  As  the  tornadoes  of 
the  second  rainy  season  announced  that 
another  dry  season  was  drawing  on,  and 
another  season  for  successful  missionary 
labor,  his  heart  was  cheered  with  the  pros- 
pect that  loomed  up  before  him.  His  re- 
ligious experience  was  ripened  and  deepened 
by  the  acclimating  process  through  which  he 
had  passed,  his  understanding  of  the  wants 
of  the  heathen  better  informed,  and  his  con- 
viction of  the  duty  of  those  who  loved  God 
to  impart  the  gospel  to  the  poor  heathen  ful- 
ly confirmed.  As  yet,  it  is  true,  he  could  not 
see  the  work  of  his  hands  prospering.  To 
his  senses  the  scene  was  dark  indeed,  but  he 
had  faith   in  God,     His  soul  was  stayed  on 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  89 

God.  Underneath  him  were  the  everlasting 
arms.  With  such  a  conviction,  with  such  a 
trust,  with  such  implicit  faith,  he  seems  to 
have  been  one  of  the  happiest  of  men.  Some 
of  his  utterances  make  one  think  of  Martin 
Luther  and  John  Knox.  True,  his  surround- 
ings and  trials  were  different  from  theirs; 
but,  like  them,  he  felt  that  his  only  help,  his 
only  source  of  success,  was  in  God.  But  he 
had  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  God 
would  cause  the  seed  sown  in  Africa  to 
spring  up  in  many  hearts  unto  everlasting  life. 
The  following  extracts  from  letters  written 
to  the  corresponding  secretary  will  show  the 
fulness  and  richness  of  his  personal  experi- 
ence, and  the  strength  of  his  faith  in  the  ulti- 
mate triumph  of  the  gospel: 

"The  Lord  turns  everything  to  our  spiritual 
good  while  in  the  way  of  duty. 

"Tell  our  friends  that  their  prayers  for  us 
are  not  lost.  We  are  contented  and  quite 
happy.  We  fear  not  the  climate,  nor  sick- 
ness, nor  death. 

"The  low  estate  (more  properly,  the  desper- 
ate condition,)  of  the  surrounding  heathen 
calls  more  loudly  for  help.  Our  race  has  been 
active  for  years  in  the  degradation  of  Africa. 


90  •  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

If  we  wish  our  skirts  clear  of  her  blood,  let 
us  be  more  active  in  her  exaltation. 

"Because  Satan  has  his  seat  here,  shall  we 
faint  and  give  up  the  contest,  and  go  home 
like  cowards,  leaving  all  the  vast  field  to  him? 
Where  is  the  man  who  says  yes?  Who  shall 
stop  to  count  numbers  or  weigh  money  against 
the  souls  of  the  heathen?  Let  him  make 
himself  known.  Let  him  oppose  with  knowl- 
edge that  the  work  shall  be  done.  If  we  re- 
fuise,  others  will  not.  I  am  not  able  to  see 
far,  nor  say  much,  but  I  can  not  persuade  my 
soul  that  this  work  is  to  fail." 

At  another  time  he  wrote  :  "My  soul  is 
troubled  for  this  work.  It  is  before  me  and 
upon  my  heart  night  and  day.  Surely  this 
travail  is  from  above,  and  so  not  in  vain.  I 
am  astonished  and  perplexed,  but  by  no  means 
in  despair.  If  it  please  the  Lord  that  I  die 
without  seeing  a  single  soul  converted,  I  am 
determined  not  to  doubt  but  to  die  in  the  faith 
of  the  final  triumph  of  the  gospel  in  this 
country.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  believe 
against  the  seeing  of  my  eyes  and  the  hear- 
ing of  my  ears,  when  Christ  authorizes  me  to 
do  so.  Oh,  that  this  same  Jesus  Christ  who 
loved  us   unto   death,  may   pity  these  poor 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  91 

heathen,  and  also  us  whom  he  hath  sent. 
Bro.  F.,  I  can  not  say  a  word,  I  feel  like  I  do 
not  know  anything  about  this  matter,  only  I 
believe  the  Lord  has  sent  us.  It  may  be  more 
enthusiasm  than  I  am  aware  of,  but  it  does 
not  die  out." 

At  this  time  Mr.  Hadley  spoke  fully  of  the 
impediments  that  lay  in  the  way  of  evangel- 
izing Africa.  Slavery  prevailed  to  an  alarm- 
ing extent.  Slave  owners  there,  as  every- 
where else,  knew  if  their  slaves  were  once 
enlightened  they  could  no  longer  hold  them. 
An  enlightened  people  can  not  be  enslaved. 
Hence  these  slave  owners  always  oppose  the 
eftbrts  of  the  missionaries.  Mr.  Hadley  said 
they  prevented  him  from  having  any  access 
to  a  great  many  of  the  poor  heathen.  He 
felt  burdened  when  he  thought  of  their 
wretched,  ignorant,  dying  condition,  and  of 
the  compassion  of  Jesus  toward  them.  His 
soul  yearned  to  do  something  for  them.  But 
alas !  more  than  half  of  the  people  in  that 
part  of  Africa  were  slaves,  and  their  masters 
stood  between  them  and  the  gospel. 

Polygamy  was  another  source  of  trouble. 
Many  men  in  Africa  had  all  the  wives  they 
could  obtain.     This  was  soul-destroying.     It 


92  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

degraded  women  to  a  level  with  the  brutes. 
They  were  called  wives,  but  slaves  would 
have  been  a  more  appropriate  title.  As  soon 
as  a  man  obtained  three  or  four  wives  he 
thought  he  was  able  to  live  without  any 
further  effort  on  his  part.  His  wives  did  the 
hard  work,  and  he  enjoyed  the  labor  of  their 
hands.  Of  course  the  gospel  would  tolerate 
none  of  this,  and  it  everywhere  met  the  stern 
and  steadfast  opposition  of  every  man  who 
had  more  than  one  wife. 

The  Mohammedans  were  another  source  of 
opposition.  They  could  read,  and  because 
they  had  ^'book-palaver,"  the  people  did  not 
readily  distinguish  between  them  and  the 
missionary  of  the  cross.  These  Mohamme- 
dans would  not  condemn  anything  that  would 
displease  the  Africans.  They  allowed  slavery, 
allowed  and  practiced  polygamy,  used  charms, 
greegrees,  and  every  foolish  and  hateful  thing 
common  to  the  heathen.  Hence  it  was  easy 
for  them  to  make  the  people  believe  that  the 
Christian  missionaries  would  take  away  their 
liberty,  make  cruel  exactions,  and  forever  de- 
stroy their  happiness.  There  are  many  even 
in  Christian  lands  who  will  not  make  the 
self-denial  necessary    to   become   Christians. 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  93 

What  wonder,  then,  if  the  heathen,  having 
such  blind  and  deceptive  leaders  as  the  Mo- 
hammedans, should  hesitate  to  accept  the 
gospel  ?  Sense  outweighs  faith  with  all  the 
children  of  this  world.  This  is  doubly  so  in 
heathen  countries.  The  people  know  and 
care  little  about  restraining  their  passions. 
They  are  led  captive  by  the  devil  at  his  will. 
How  sad  their  condition  ! 

As  these  Mohammedans  are  numerous,  and 
exert  a  great  influence  over  so  many  millions 
of  the  people  in  Africa,  I  must  add  that  they 
are  without  natural  affection  as  to  their  fe- 
male children,  and  thus  make  the  heathen, 
whose  habitations  are  already  full  of  cruelty, 
worse  instead  of  better.  A  missionary  once 
asked  a  gray-haired  Moslem — a  man  profes- 
sing the  religion  of  Mohammed — how  many 
children  he  had.  He  replied,  *'I  have  no  chil- 
dren at  all."  The  man  then  asked,  "Whose 
daughters  are  those  whom  I  saw  running 
across  the  court  ?"  "Oh,"  said  he,  "those  are 
mine,  but  theg  are  nothing  hut  girhJ^  He  ask- 
ed another  how  many  children  he  had.  He 
replied,  with  an  air  of  triumph,  "I  have  four 
sons,  but  praise  to  God,  I  have  no  daughters." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  little  half- 


94  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

starved,  half  naked — and  thousands  of  them 
entirely  nude — children  of  Africa  are  to  be 
made  more  miserable  by  the  teaching  and 
practice  of  these  blind  leaders  of  the  blind. 
No  wonder  Mr.  Hadlej's  soul  was  so  troubled 
when  he  looked  upon  this  sad  picture  of  hu- 
manity. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Day  and  Sabbath-schools — War — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadley  re- 
turn to  America — His  death. 

THE  work  of  teaching,  preaching,  and 
praying  still  went  on.  Our  mission- 
aries reported  in  1868  that  they  had  twenty 
scholars  in  the  day-school.  Most  of  these 
were  members  of  the  Caulker  family.  If  a 
few  others  were  brought  in,  they  would  re- 
main but  a  short  time.  For  one  cause  or  an- 
other, sometimes  known  to  the  missionaries, 
but  often  entirely  unknown,  these  other 
scholars  would  disappear,  and  that  would  be 
the  last  they  would  see  of  them ;  but  they 
secretly  believed  that  King  Caulker  had  some- 
thing to  do  in  sending  them  away. 

But  the  Sabbath-school  was  more  hopeful. 
There  were  twice  as  many  persons  in  attend- 
ance, and  they  came  more  regularly  than  the 
day  scholars,  took  a  deeper  interest  in  the 
instruction  they  received,  and,  on  the  whole, 
as    is    often    the  case   in    long    established 


96  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

churches  in  this  country,  the  Sabbath-school 
was  the  most  hopeful  feature  of  the  mission. 
The  old  people  were  so  confirmed  in  their 
habits  of  thought  and  attachment  to  heathen 
practices,  that  there  was  little  hope  of  their 
conversion.  ^'Can  the  Ethiopian  change  his 
skin,  or  the  leopard  his  spots  ?"  But  they 
might  cherish  a  good  hope  that  these  little 
children,  being  so  early  taught  the  name  and 
love  of  Jesus,  would,  as  they  came  to  years, 
not  only  forsake  the  idols  and  wicked  prac- 
tices of  the  generations  preceding  them,  but 
serve  as  agents  to  win  their  countrymen  from 
the  ways  of  sin. 

Of  this  school  Mr.  Hadley  wrote,  July, 
1868  :  "Our  Sabbath-school  is  more  interest- 
ing. This  is  due  principally  to  the  distribu- 
tion of  reward  tickets  and  books  for  the 
memorizing  of  the  Scriptures.  We  have  one 
officer,  three  teachers,  aud  twenty-four  schol- 
ars. Verses  of  Scripture  memorized  and 
repeated,  five  thousand  one  hundred  and  thir- 
ty-two. Six  of  our  best  scholars  have  re- 
peated three  thousand  five  hundred  and 
seventy-five  of  these.  The  Sabbath-school 
superintendents  in  America  can  tell  how  this 
will  compare  with  their  schools.  Our  prayer- 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  97 

meetings,  on  Tuesday  evening,  and  Bible 
class  have  been  very  good.  Five  persons 
whom  we  had  greatly  hoped  to  see  converted 
soon  are  for  the  present  apparently  out  of  our 
reach,  but  another  one  has  lately  given  evi- 
dence of  distress  on  account  of  sin.  We 
rejoice  at  every  indication  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  working  in  the  dark  hearts  about  us. 
We  may,  perhaps,  encourage  ourselves  too 
soon  ;  but  we  hope  that  it  may  please  the 
Lord  to  bring  about  a  great  change  for  the 
better  in  this  place." 

I^fotwithstanding  Mr.  Hadley's  faith  and 
hope  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment. 
Though  his  health  at  the  beginning  of  his 
second  year  was  improved,  and  the  prospect 
for  usefulness  much  brighter  than  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  first  year,  it  was  only  apparent. 
A  deadly  disease  had  laid  its  seductive  hand 
upon  him.  Consumption  was  slowly  under- 
mining his  life.  But  he  was  so  engaged  in 
the  work  in  hand  he  almost  forgot  himself. 
The  zeal  of  the  Lord's  house  literally  ate  him 
up.  After  his  second  year  was  half  gone  his 
faithful  wife  wrote:  ^'N'othing  very  serious 
troubles  me,  but  Mr.  Hadley  has  some  fever, 
and  his  cough  and  throat  have  gradually  be- 


IfO  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

come  more  irritated  and  troublesome.  Ulcer- 
ation seems  to  be  going  on  speedily.  I  use 
such  remedies  as  are  at  hand,  but  they  fail  to 
profit  as  before.  Still,  I  trust,  the  Lord  may 
deliver  him  as  at  other  times.  It  seems  that 
his  labors  in  Africa  may  soon  have  an  end. 
He  may  be  able  to  begin  the  buildings,  but  I 
do  not  think  he  can  finish  them." 

The  buildings  spoken  of  by  Mrs.  Hadley 
had  reference  to  a  new  chapel  and  some  out 
buildings  for  the  use  of  the  mission.  He  un- 
dertook the  new  chapel.  Men  were  employed 
to  quarry  and  dress  the  stone;  but  before 
the  work  proceeded  very  far  the  cry  of  war 
put  everything  into  confusion  and  uncertainty; 
and  before  the  excitement  of  a  war  subsided 
the  rainy  season  drew  on,  and  Mr.  Hadley's 
health  becoming  still  worse  the  work  was  al- 
lowed to  cease  altogether. 

Yielding  to  necessity,  after  two  and  a  half 
years  of  labor  in  Africa,  Mr.  Hadley  and  his 
wife  returned  to  America.  He  had  now  be- 
come entirely  unable  to  labor  any  more,  and 
Mrs.  Hadley  could  do  little  more  than  take 
care  of  her  husband.  Finally  they  committed 
the  mission  to  Mr.  Williams,  under  God,  and 
sailed  for  America.     They  arrived  in  Dayton, 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  99 

Ohio,  April  15,  1869.  Mr.  Hadley  was  in  a 
dying  condition.  He  could  say  very  little 
about  the  mission  or  anything  else.  Jn  a 
short  time  they  proceeded  to  their  home  near 
Lafayette,  Indiana,  and  in  a  few  days  after 
Mrs.  Hadley  wrote  to  Mr.  Flickinger  the  fol- 
lowing interesting,  sad,  and  yet  cheering, 
letter  : 

"May  4th,  1869. 

"Bro.  F.  : — Some  of  us  have  parted  to  meet 
no  more  on  the  shores  of  time.  My  dear 
companion  failed  in  strength  and  breath  so 
fast  that  he  only  survived  a  few  days  after 
reaching  home.  He  was  entirely  sensible  of 
his  suffering,  and  knew  us  to  the  last.  He 
said  in  his  last  hours  that  I  should  not  shed 
tears  for  him,  and  that  he  would  soon  land 
where  he  would  never  want  for  breath,  and, 
*Come,  O  my  Savior !  and  tarry  not.'  He 
struggled  hard  with  death,  and  just  as  day 
dawned  on  the  28th  of  April,  his  eyes  were^ 
closed  to  this  world  ;  and  at  ten  o'clock  a.  m., 
on  the  29th,  his  dear  body  was  carried  to  the 
chapel,  a  discourse  was  preached  by  Rev.  A. 
W.  Wainscott,  and  then  we  looked  upon  the 
pale  form  once  more,  and  saw  it  quietly  laid 
to  rest  in  its  narrow  home  until  the  resurrec- 
tion morn. 


100  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

"I  only  ask  for  grace  to  help  ihe  to  continue 
in  the  same  precious  faith  my  dear  hushand 
had  in  his  Savior.  We  never  lamented  that 
we  had  forsaken  all  for  Christ's  sake  and  the 
gospel's.  "We  only  regretted  that  we  did  not 
suffer  more  willingly. 

*'How  short  is  life,  and  yet  how  great  the 
work.  Oh,  who  can  die  without  Jesus  ^ 
Precious  Savior !  Oh,  that  I  may  love  him 
with  all  my  heart  is  my  prayer. 

M.  B.  Hadley." 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

Effect  of  Mr.  Hadley's  death— Doubts  and  difl&dence  of  the 
Board— General  Conference  action. 

THIS  was  a  dark  day  for  Sherbro  Mis- 
sion. It  was  a  time  that  tried  the  souls 
of  the  most  earnest  supporters  of  the  cause  of 
missions  in  the  Church.  Mr.  Hadley's  return 
and  death  seemed  for  the  moment  to  have 
shocked  the  Church  so  that  it  stood  still,  and 
wonderingly  and  doubtingly  asked,  "What 
shall  be  done  next  ?  Must  the  African  mis- 
sion, after  all,  prove  a  failure  ?"  It  was  a 
time  of  sadness,  as  well  on  account  of  the  loss 
of  our  faithful  missionary,  as  the  future  pros- 
pects of  the  mission  itself. 

For  nine  months  before  his  return,  as  if  he 
had  a  presentiment  of  his  approaching  end, 
Mr.  Hadley  had  been  calling  loudly  for  help  ; 
but  no  help  was  sent.  The  committee  tried  to 
find  men  to  send  to  his  relief,  but  none  were 
found.  True,  there  were  some  who  talked 
quite  favorably,  and  one  or  two  had  actually 


102  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

been  appointed,  but  for  one  cause  or  another 
they  all  failed. 

Meantime  complaints  began  to  be  made 
thick  and  fast  that  this  mission  was  costing 
the  Church  entirely  too  great  a  sacrifice  in 
life  and  treasure.  One  man  had  actually  died  ! 
and  the  cry  was  renewed  that  Providence  was 
against  us.  I  hope  the  reader  will  not  forget 
that  up  to  this  time,  among  all  the  persons 
employed  by  the  Board  to  labor  at  Shengay, 
while  all  have  suffered  more  or  less  from  sick- 
ness, Mr.  Hadley  was  the  only  one  that  had 
died.  Instead  of  regarding  his  death,  there- 
fore, as  a,  token  of  God's  displeasure,  the 
Church  ought,  and  did  finally,  consider  it  as  a 
mark  of  his  favor  and  approval,  that  the 
lives  and  health  of  our  missionaries,  taken 
altogether,  had  been  so  precious  in  his  sight. 

But  facts  are  stubborn  things  ;  only  a  few 
souls  had  been  converted  during  all  the  years 
we  had  labored  in  Africa ;  the  first  chapel 
built  had  been  devoured  by  the  "bug-a-bug;" 
our  faithful  missionaries  had  returned,  and 
one  of  them  died,  and  there  was  nobody  to 
take  their  places.  The  church,  in  many  lo- 
calities, was  restless,  and  in  some  instances 
censorious.      With    this    unsettled   state    of 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  103 

things  the  Board  of  Missions  was  itself  in- 
clined to  waver.  Happily  their  annual  session, 
just  after  Mr.  Hadley's  death,  was  held  at  the 
same  time  the  General  Conference  convened. 
The  old  Board  held  a  session  at  Annville, 
Pennsylvania,  just  before  the  meeting  of  the 
General  Conference  at  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania. 
At  this  session  the  Board  did  little  more  than 
take  a  retrospective  view  of  their  work.  The 
secretary  and  treasurer  made  their  reports. 
Of  the  African  mission  the  secretary  said,  sor- 
rowfully : 

"Though  the  prospect  is  not  very  flatter- 
ing, I  can  not  but  believe  that  a  glorious 
harvest  of  souls  will  yet  be  gathered  among 
that  people,  and  that  before  long,  by  that 
church  that  will  sustain  laborers  there.  The 
people  among  whom  we  labor  there  are  very 
similar  to  those  in  Sierre  Leone,  where  John- 
son, and  During,  and  others  labored  with  such 
marked  success  about  thirty  years  ago,  many 
of  whom  and  their  descendants  are  respecta- 
ble Christians.  In  a  very  few  years  our  mis- 
sion will  be  in  this  colony;  and  if  we  could 
*hold  fast  the  profession  of  our  faith  without 
wavering,'  which  is  that  the  gospel  is  adapt- 
ed to  the  wants  of  even  the  most  degraded, 


104  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

we  might  yet  see  our  efforts  crowned  with 
abundant  success.  Under  the  circumstances, 
however,  I  shall  not  oppose  stoutly  the  aban- 
donment of  Africa;  and  for  the  reason  that  if 
it  is  continued  the  probability  is  that  it  will 
sustain  such  a  meager  support  as  to  greatly 
protract  its  seeming  failure." 

After  expressing  the  wish  that  the  whole 
matter  might  be  referred  to  the  General  Con- 
ference, and  a  willingness  to  abide  by  their 
decision,  he  dismissed  the  subject. 

The  Board  were  as  doubtful  as  the  secreta- 
ry. Only  one  member  was  at  all  pronounced 
in  favor  of  prosecuting  the  mission.  Others 
would  be  glad  to  do  so,  but  feared  we  could 
not.  Still  others  thought  we  could  accom- 
plish so  much  more  good  with  the  same 
money  elsewhere,  that  we  ought  to  project  a 
foreign  mission  in  some  other  place.  With 
these  conflicting  hopes  and  fears  and  ex- 
pressions, the  question  was  referred  to  the 
General  Conference. 

In  a  few  days  more  the  question,  Shall  the 
Sherbro  Mission  be  continued  ?  was  brought 
before  the  General  Conference.  The  Com- 
mittee on  Missions  recommended  the  passage 
of  the  following: 


SHERERO    MISSION.  105 

^'Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Missions  make 
an  arrangement  with  the  officers  of  the  Amer- 
ican Missionary  Association,  or  others,  to  take 
charge  of  our  mission-station  in  Africa,  until 
such  time  as  the  Board  shall  see  its  way  open 
to  prosecute  the  work  properly." 

Pending  this  question  there  arose  a  spirited 
debate  which  showed  that  while  some  were 
doubtful,  others  strongly  opposed,  there  were 
many  who  zealously  favored  the  prosecution 
of  the  work. 

Dr.  Davis  said :  "I  hope  the  General  Con- 
ference will  not  dispose  of  the  African  mis- 
sion in  any  such  summary  way  as  this.  I 
hope,  if  it  is  the  sense  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence and  the  Church  to  get  rid  of  the  African 
mission,  that  they  will  do  it  at  once,  so  that 
we  will  know  that  that  is  the  intention. 

"I  listened  to  the  counsels  of  the  Board,  and 
it  seemed  to  me  that  there  was  an  intention 
to  set  that  mission  aside.  It  gave  me  pain. 
I  do  not  think  that  our  brethren  in  the  West 
generally  wish  it.  My  own  convictions  are 
that  if  you  are  not  able  to  sustain  the  mission 
there,  you  should  simply  let  it  rest  in  the 
hands  of  the  Board  until  men  and  means  can 
be  found  to  prosecute  the  work." 


106  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

These  were  timely  words.  Others  followed 
in  a  similar  train  of  remark.  Finally  Mr. 
Speck,  of  the  Alleghany  Conference,  offered 
the  following  as  a  suhstitute  for  the  commit- 
tee's resolution: 

^^Besolved,  That  the  African  work  be  left  in 
the  hands  of  the  missionary  Board  with  dis- 
cretionary power  to  supply  it  with  men  and 
means  as  soon  as  practicable." 

The  Conference  now  called  on  Mr.  Flick- 
inger  for  all  the  information  which  he  pos- 
sessed in  regard  to  that  mission.  This  he 
gave,  and  closed  his  remarks  by  saying  the 
question  had  been  brought  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  having  the  General  Conference  settle 
it  without  any  bias  from  himself  or  anybody 
else.  A  number  of  members  spoke,  some  for 
and  some  against  the  mission.  At  length 
Bishop  Shuck  said :  "I  would  rather  that  the 
whole  thing  die  and  be  buried  as  one  of  our 
missionaries  has  died  and  been  buried,  than 
that  we  should  hand  over  to  another  party  so 
important  a  part  of  our  work.  Other  Chris- 
tian organizations  are  planting  their  stand- 
ard on  foreign  soil.  We  have  had  our  senti- 
nels out.  One  has  been  brought  home  to  die; 
others  have  returned,  and  the  pulsations  ot 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  107 

spiritual  life  which  were  beating  in  their 
hearts  have  become  palsied  because  of  the 
want  of  vital  interest  at  the  base  of  opera- 
tions. If  we  deliberately  hand  over  this 
work  to  another  organization,  isjt  not  natur- 
al that  the  hearts  of  the  people  beating  in 
sympathy  with  this  cause  will  feel  like  join- 
that  other  division  of  the  army  and  going  on 
to  glorious  victory  ?  When  we  pass  the  res- 
olution of  the  committee,  Ichobod  will  be 
justly  written  upon  our  banner  in  the  mission- 
ary cause,  and  the  very  life-blood  of  our 
whole  missionary  operations  will  measurably 
cease  to  flow.  I  say,  let  this  matter  go  with 
a  way  wide  open  to  the  Board.  Let  it  say  to 
the  Church,  'The  way  is  open,'  and  I  believe 
the  money  and  the  men  will  come.  It  seems 
to  me  that  the  very  death  of  that  devoted 
missionary  is  the  life  of  the  foreign  missiona- 
ry enterprise  in  this  Church.  We  have  but 
too  few  who  are  willinof-  to  die  in  the  cause. 
We  can  not,  in  our  purposes  at  least,  be  true 
to  our  mission  on  earth  and  refer  the  work  as 
the  report  proposes." 

These  burning  and  righteous  words  had  a 
good  effect.  Mr.  Speck's  substitute  was 
adopted  by  a  large  majority,  and  the  Board 


108  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

advised  to  "keep  the  door  wide  open"  for 
missionary  labor  in  Africa.  Being  thus  reas- 
sured the  Board  no  longer  hesitated.  The 
question  was  settled.  Through  evil  report 
and  good,  with  bright  prospects  or  dark,  the 
Sherbro  Mission  must  be  kept  alive.  It  would 
have  been  unwise,  cowardly,  and  false  to  our- 
selves as  a  Church,  and  to  the  missionaries 
who  had  thus  far  labored  in  the  field,  to  have 
thus  summarily  abandoned  it.  The  reader 
will  no  doubt  wonder  that  the  Board,  or  any 
part  of  the  Church,  ever  thought  of  vacating 
or  delivering  over  to  another  party,  which 
amounted  to  the  same  thing,  so  important  a 
part  of  their  work. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Appointment  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gomer— Meeting  in  Dayton — 
Departure — Arrival  in  Shengay. 

THE  door  was  now  wide  open ;  but  who 
would  enter  it  ?  One  call  after  another 
was  made,  but  none  answered.  The  commit- 
tee were  anxious  to  send  missionaries,  but 
none  could  be  found.  They  waited,  and  pray- 
ed, and  hoped.  Mrs.  Hadley  alone  signified 
her  willingness  to  return  whenever  the  Board 
judged  it  proper  for  her  to  go.  The  Execu- 
tive Committee  sought  for  some  minister  who 
could  take  his  wife  and  make  his  residence  at 
the  station,  but  it  was  difficult  to  find  one. 

Time  passed.  Another  meeting  of  the 
Board  was  held.  Here  again  the  subject  was 
thoroughly  canvassed.  It  was  finally  agreed 
to  commit  it  to  the  care  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  with  instructions  either  to  send 
missionaries,  or  if  these  could  not  be  obtained, 
to  form  an  alliance  with  the  American  Mis- 
sionary Association,  whereby  they  might  sup- 


110  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

ply  it  with  laborers,  we  defraying  the  expen- 
penses,  till  we  would  furnish  missionaries 
ourselves.  But  this  proved  impracticable. 
Finally  Mr.  Flickinger  proposed  to  go  again 
to  Africa  himself  as  a  missionary ;  but  the 
committee  did  not  feel  authorized  to  send 
away  their  secretary. 

At  length  it  was  agreed  to  renew  the  prop- 
osition that  had  been  talked  of  for  a  year  or 
two,  to  send  Mr.  J.  Gomer  and  his  wife  of  Day- 
ton, Ohio.  Mr.  Gomer  was  a  colored  man  of 
superior  intelligence  and  piety,  and  had  often 
said  if  he  was  satisfied  that  he  could  be  of 
service  in  leading  his  race  to  Jesus,  he  would 
be  glad  to  go  to  Africa  as  a  missionary.  The 
committee  were  personally  acquainted  with 
him,  and  knew  him  to  be  one  of  the  most 
thorough  and  wide-awake  Sabbath  -  school 
superintendents  in  Dayton;  and  although  he 
was  not  a  minister  of  the  gospel  they  believed 
he  would  make  an  effective  missionary.  They 
knew  him,  moreover,  to  be  a  thoroughly  hon- 
est, industrious,  faithful  Christian  gentleman. 
He  had  been  employed  for  a  number  of  years 
by  a  large  business  firm  in  Dayton,  and  enjoy- 
ed their  utmost  confidence. 

"When  the  question  was  asked,  Will  you  go 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  Ill 

to  Africa?  Mr.  Gomer  responded,  "Yes," 
and  his  faithful  wife  answered,  "Yes;  we'll  go 
gladly."  The  committee  began  to  feel  then, 
and  the  opinion  has  been  gaining  ground  ever 
since,  that  in  selecting  laborers  for  Africa, 
they  were  like  Samuel  and  Jesse  choosing  a 
king  for  Israel.  All  the  seven  sons  were 
sought  before  David,  the  shepherd  boy.  So 
the  committee  were  looking  abroad,  and 
probably  to  outward  appearances,  not  duly 
considering  that  the  Lord  now,  as  in  the  days 
of  Samuel  and  David,  "seeth  not  as  man 
seeth;  for  man  looketh  on  the  outward  ap- 
pearance, but  the  Lord  looketh  on  the  heart." 
However  this  may  be,  they  seem  to  have  been 
remarkably  slow  in  sending  this  man  of  God 
to  point  his  fellow-countrymen  to  the  Lord 
Jesus.  If  he  had  been  a  preacher  he  would 
doubtless  have  been  sent  long  before. 

After  the  appointments  were  made,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gomer  were  ready  to  start,  a 
farewell  meeting  was  held  in  the  Third  Unit- 
ed Brethren  church  in  Dayton.  It  was  one 
of  the  most  impressive  gatherings,  in  many 
respects,  that  ever  assembled  in  the  city. 
Many  citizens  and  members  of  other  evan- 
gelical  churches,  as  well  as   large  numbers 


112  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

from  the  several  United  Brethern  churches 
of  the  city,  were  present,  not  merely  as  idle 
spectators,  but  as  hearty  sympathizers  in  the 
work  to  which  Mr.  Gomer  and  his  wife  had 
consecrated  themselves.  They  were  there  also 
as  personal  friends  and  brethren  in  the  Lord, 
having  come  to  bid  them  farewell,  and  per- 
sonally to  express  their  desires  for  their  safe 
journey  to  Africa,  and  for  their  abundant 
success  in  the  blessed  work  of  saving  souls. 

Mr.  Gomer's  remarks  on  that  occasion  im- 
pressed all  that  if  he  were  not  ordained  of 
man  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  had  a 
higher  anointing  for  that  holy  office.  He 
expressed  such  faith  in  the  gospel  for  himself 
and  for  the  heathen  in  Africa  as  to  leave 
no  doubt  that  he  would  do  whatever  man 
could  perform  to  show  the  people  the  way  of 
life.  Mrs.  Gomer  also  made  remarks  which 
showed  that  she  was  personally  acquainted 
with  the  way  of  life,  and  as  thoroughly  alive 
to  the  dying  condition  of  the  heathen  as  her 
husband.  Other  members  of  the  congregation 
with  which  they  had  been  connected  for  years 
also  made  remarks.  Several  members  of  the 
committee  spoke ;  and  when  the  meeting 
closed  there  was  but  one  opinion  concern iug 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  113 

it,  and  that  was,  that  ^'God  is  in  this  place," 
and  that  he  was  there  to  signify  to  both  the 
missionaries  and  the  Board  his  approval  of 
the  work  they  had  undertaken  to  do.  It  was 
remarked  by  an  eminent  divine  of  the  city 
that  he  regarded  it  as  a  special  mark  of  honor 
conferred  upon  the  Third  United  Brethren 
Church,  that  God  had  passed  by  the  splendid 
temples  and  wealthy  congregations  of  Dayton, 
and  selected  from  this  humble  church  labor- 
ers for  so  important  a  work.  But  this  is  in 
keeping  with  his  word;  "for  ye  see  your  call- 
ing, brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise  men 
after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many 
noble  are  called." 

Bidding  farewell  to  friends,  and  home,  and 
native  country  they  started  on  their  long 
journey  on  the  8th  of  l!Tovember,  1870.  They 
were  accompanied  to  'New  York  by  Mr. 
Flickinger.  After  a  few  days  spent  in  pre- 
paration they  took  passage  for  Africa  via 
Liverpool.  This  route,  though  farther  and 
more  costly,  is  much  more  easily  and  speedily 
traversed  than  by  direct  sailing  from  New 
York  to  Freetown.  They  landed  in  Freetown 
the  11th  day  of  January,  1 871,  and  in  a  few 
days,    accompanied   by   Mr.   Burton    of    the 


114  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

Mendi  Mission,  tliey  went  to  Shengay.  Mr. 
Burton  introduced  them  to  the  king,  who  re- 
ceived them  with  expressions  of  hearty  con- 
gratulation. Mr.  Gomer  made  him  a  small 
present.  The  king  talked  very  friendly,  and 
told  him  he  might  teach  school  and  hold 
meetings  in  the  barre,  or  court-house.  In  a 
few  days  after  he  held  a  meeting  in  the  barre. 
The  king  was  there  and  quite  a  number  of  the 
people.     Mr.  Gomer  wrote : 

"My  wife  and  myself  are  both  delighted 
with  our  new  home  ;  think  we  will  like  it 
very  much.  The  house  and  everything  about 
it  is  in  a  bad  condition.  The  out  houses  all 
want  repairing  The  king  treats  us  very  kind- 
ly. There  was  a  miserable  fellow  in  command 
here.  I  will  make  out  a  full  statement  of 
everything  in  my  next  " 

It  was  very  evident  that  the  mission  was 
no  longer  watched  over  by  its  faithful  friend, 
Mr.  Williams ;  and  had  the  committee  not 
sent  laborers  soon  the  mission  property  would 
have  been  utterly  destroyed.  But  our  mis- 
sionaries took  possession  and  went  to  work 
with  a  determination  to  do  what  they  could 
in  this  new  and  strange  field  of  labor. 

They  soon  discovered  that  while  the  mis- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  115 

8ion  was  deprived  of  the  labors  of  men  for  a 
time,  God  had  been  working  among  the  peo- 
ple. Perhaps  Mr.  Williams'  death  had  made 
an  impression  on  their  minds  which  neither 
his  life  nor  teaching  could  do.  Possibly  the 
being  left  alone  to  think  on  their  ways,  in 
sontrast  with  the  requirements  of  the  gospel 
as  they  had  been  set  forth  by  the  missionaries, 
caused  them  to  awake  and  consider.  Or. 
perchance,  they  were  more  inclined  to  listen 
to  the  gospel  from  missionaries  of  their  own 
color.  But  whatever  the  cause,  the  fact  was 
apparent.  The  king  and  family  and  many  of 
the  people  were  inclined  to  listen  to  the  gos- 
pel with  more  interest  than  ever  before. 

Mr.  Gomer  was  greatly  encouraged  by  these 
omens  of  interest  and  faith  on  the  part  of  the 
people.  He  believed  it  to  be  the  period  for 
the  success  of  this  mission.  In  his  opinion 
the  salvation  ol  that  part  of  Ethiopia  drew 
nigh,  and  he  set  himself  to  improve  the  rising 
tide.  He  held  meetings  regularly  at  the  mis- 
sion house;  he  reorganized  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  being  invited  by  the  king,  held 
frequent  meetings  in  the  barre,  or  court- 
house of  the  town.  These  meetings  were 
most  always  attended  by  the  king  and  most 


116  SHP]RBRO   MISSION. 

of  the  members  of  his  numerous  family.  The 
king  was  very  old  and  feeble,  and  sometimes 
he  was  not  able  to  walk,  and  he  would  have 
his  servants  carry  him  to  the  barre. 

He  did  more.  He  enjoined  it  upon  his 
slaves  to  attend  the  meetings.  This  was  a 
long  step  in  advance  of -anything  he  had  ever 
yet  done.  Hitherto  he  had  forbidden  them 
to  go  to  the  meetings  or  schools  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. Let  no  one  ask  in  astonishment, 
"Why  did  he  not  liberate  his  slaves?"  His 
eyes  were  not  yet  opened.  He  only  began  to 
realize  that  he  needed  light.  Moreover,  he 
recommended  and  encouraged  all  the  free 
people  of  the  town  to  attend  the  meetings. 
The  consequence  was  that  from  the  very  first 
Mr.  Gomer  had  large  congregations,  and  his 
words  came  to  them  in  demonstration  of  the 
Spirit  and  of  power.  The  people  literally 
"thronged  to  hear  him."  His  letters  show 
that  the  interest  which  had  so  often  been 
manifested  on  the  part  of  a  few  was  extend- 
ing to  persons  of  influence,  and  widening  like 
a  wave  of  the  sea,  awakening  a  spirit  of 
anxious  inquiry  among  the  hundreds  who  had 
never  before  heard  or  understood  or  believed 
the  gospel.     They  came  also  from  neighbor- 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  117 

ing  towns  to  hear  him  preach,  and  he  had 
frequent  invitations  to  go  to  other  villages  to 
preach. 

As  these  tidings  were  brought  from  time 
to  time  to  the  Executive  Committee  they 
were  forcibly  reminded  of  Mr.  Gomer's  re- 
marks on  the  evening  of  his  departure.  "I 
believe,"  said  he,  ''that  there  is  power  in  the 
gospel  to  save  the  heathen;  and  I  believe, 
God  helping  me,  I  can  make  them  believe  it 
too." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Difficulty  of  holding  converts — Children   under  the  influ- 
ence of  heathen  parents. 

O^E  of  the  greatest  difficulties  that  con- 
front our  missionaries  in  Africa  is  the 
continual  and  wide-spread,  in  fact  universal, 
bad  example  of  the  people  at  large.  If  a 
man  is  partially  enlightened  and  convicted  of 
sin,  or  even  converted,  he  has  no  one  among 
his  fellow  countrymen  with  whom  to  associ- 
ate, only  such  as  are  fully  under  the  influ- 
ence of  idolatry  and  superstition.  With  such 
associates,  such  bad  example,  and  the  contin- 
ual reproach,  scorn,  hatred,  spite,  and  mock- 
ery that  he  is  compelled  to  face,  it  is  no  won- 
der that  he  begins  to  shudder,  to  hesitate, 
and,  alas,  that  he  too  often  goes  back  "like 
the  sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wallow- 
ing in  the  mire."  Often  the  missionary  is 
first  pleased  when  he  sees  some  earnest  listen- 
er to  the  truth  come  again  and  again  to  hear 
the  word  of  life,  and  finally  make  a  profession 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  119 

of  faith  in  the  Son  of  God;  and  then  his  soul 
is  sunk  in  gloom  as  by  his  mind's  eye  he 
follows  this  same  lamb  of  the  fold  out  into 
the  vast  wilderness  full  of  ravenous  beasts,  so 
foul,  so  cunning,  so  ready  to  deceive  and  de- 
stroy those  who  attempt  to  depart  from  the 
ways  of  sin.  Many  souls  are  thus  lost.  This 
indeed  is  no  new  thing,  but  is  doubly  dis- 
couraging in  heathen  countries.  We  have 
many  waj^side  hearers  of  the  gospel  in  this 
country,  and  are  obliged  to  observe  that  the 
devil  often  "catcheth  away  that  which  was 
sown  in  their  hearts."  We  observe  also  that 
many  hear  the  gospel  oftentimes  repeated, 
and  do  not  yield  to  its  claims;  and,  oh,  how 
frequently  are  we  compelled  to  witness  the 
sad  defection  of  souls  "who  were  once  enlight- 
ened and  had  tasted  the  good  word  of  God, 
and  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come."  But 
while  we  lose  many  here  in  this  way,  we  also 
save  many,  and  it  does  not  seem  so  disheart- 
ening as  where  a  minister  in  a  heathen  coun- 
try has  labored  for  years,  perhaps,  and  then, 
after  seeing  a  few  souls  yield  to  the  truth 
be  compelled  to  witness  their  reensiavement 
to  Satan  through  the  evil  devices  of  the  sur- 
rounding heathen. 


120  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

This  danger  is  greatly  increased  in  the  case 
of  children.  All  know  the  impressible  na- 
ture of  children.  -All  understand  that  it  is 
from  their  ranks  that  Christianity  wins  its 
greatest  triumphs.  Our  missionaries  can  have 
access  to  any  number  of  children ;  but  how 
save  them?  This  is  the  question.  They  can 
teach  them  the  truth,  but  they  return  to  their 
parents  to  be  taught  falsehoods.  Parents^ 
words,  all  understand,  go  farther  with  chil- 
dren than  any  and  all  others.  So  these  hea- 
then children  are  frequently  allowed  to  go  to 
the  day  and  Sabbath-schools  of  the  mission- 
aries in  order  to  learn  to  read  and  write,  but 
the  truths  of  the  gospel  they  are  taught  to 
reject  and  to  cleave  to  the  superstition  of  their 
parents.  Thus  it  is  that  few  children  are  at 
first,  or  can  be  at  first,  won  to  the  Savior. 
Their  parents  stand  in  the  door  of  the  king- 
dom, assisted  by  the  heathen  priesthood,  and 
neither  enter  the  kingdom  themselves  nor 
allow  their  children  to  enter. 

How  to  overcome  this  evil  is  one  of  the 
problems  that  the  missionaries  in  all  heathen 
countries  have  been  obliged  to  grapple  with. 
Some  have  held  that  the  better  way  is  to  ob- 
tain control  of  as  many  children  as  a  mission 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  121 

can  support,  and  maintain  them  altogether  in 
a  separate  condition  from  the  heathen  people 
surrounding  them.  But  to  this  there  are 
many  and  grave  objections.  It  is  very  costly. 
Take.,  fifty  or  a  hundred  children,  and  clothe 
them,  shelter  them,  feed  them,  instruct  them, 
and  it  will  be  found  too  heavy  a  drain  on  any 
missionary  treasury.  The  support  of  a  college 
in  this  country,  where  students  pay  for  their 
clothing,  lodging,  boarding,  books,  and  at 
least  a  part  of  their  tuition,  is  an  immense 
expense.  How,  then,  could  a  mission  be  thus 
supported  in  a  foreign  land  ? 

But  is  it  best  thus  to  cut  them  off  at  once 
and  forever  from  their  heathen  ancestors  and 
associates  ?  Would  they  have  as  strong  a 
hold  upon  them,  and  be  as  able  to  persuade 
them  to  become  Christians  as  they  would  be 
had  they  remained  among  them,  and  retained 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  their  ways  and 
wants  ?  Moreover,  would  they  not  be  more 
apt  to  relapse  into  idolatry  than  they  would 
if  they  had  been  brought  up  in  such  condi- 
tions as  to  see  it  from  day  to  day  in  all  its 
manifold  vices  and  soul-destroying  delusions  ? 

Whether  such  is  the  fact  in  all  cases  or  not, 
it  is  manifestly  impracticable,  if  not  impossi- 


122  SIIERBEO   MISSION. 

ble,  to  isolate  any  considerable  number  of  the 
heathen,  either  adults  or  children,  from  the 
mass  of  their  fellow  countrymen.  The  whole 
lump  must  be  leavened.  We  must  follow  the 
apostolic  plan.  We  must  rely  on  the  power 
of  the  gospel  to  convert  their  souls.  Churches 
must  be  formed  and  thrown  on  their  own 
resources  with  their  own  officers,  teachers, 
and  pastors,  in  the  belief  that  God  will  cause 
the  truth  to  flourish.  Paul  began  in  Corinth, 
Rome,  and  other  heathen  cities  by  simply  and 
faithfully  preaching  the  gospel.  At  first  it 
seemed  a  hopeless  task,  but  it  did  succeed, 
and  so  will  the  truth  now.  If  some  go  back 
to  the  world,  others  will  abide  by  the  faith. 

The  following  letter,  written  by  Mr.  Gomer 
shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Africa,  illustrates 
what  odds  young  converts  have  to  contend 
with.  It  also  shows  that  in  some  instances 
God's  grace  in  one  man's  heart  proves  itself 
to  be  stronger  than  the  cunning  of  Satan  in 
many  hearts.  The  reader  will  understand 
that  this  is  the  Tom  that  Mr.  Bilhiemer 
refers  to  as  having  been  converted  during  his 
ministry  at  the  mission.  And  from  the  con- 
versation of  this  man  with  Mr.  Gomer  I 
think  the  reader  will  be  ready  to  add  him 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  '         123 

to  the  catalogue  of  souls  saved  by  our  mis- 
sionaries at  Shengay.  What  a  multitude  of 
sins  may  we  not  suppose  have  been  hidden  in 
Africa  by  the  conversion  of  a  few  sinners 
from  the  error  of  their  ways  through  the 
labors  of  our  missionaries !  But  read  the 
letter : 

"Shengay,  West  Africa,  March  14,  1871. 

"The  Murra  Men  are  a  tribe  that  are  cele- 
brated for  their  skill  in  making  greegrees  and 
charms.  People  here  call  it  making  medicine. 
There  is  one  of  the  Murra  Men  here  now. 
He  told  Tom  that  for  four  yards  of  cloth  he 
would  make  him  some  medicine  that  would 
make  his  master  like  him  past  all  the  other 
hands.  Tom  said  to  him,  'God  like  me  ;  and 
if  my  master  no  like  me,  your  medicine  no 
make  him  do  it.'  Another  oftered  to  make 
Tom  some  medicine  that  would  make  him  a 
fine  gentleman.  Tom  eyed  the  fellow  as  he 
stood  before  him  half  naked  and  dirty,  and 
said,  '  Why  he  no  make  you  tine  gentleman  ? 
You  want  to  make  me  fine  past  you  ?  I  can't 
see  how  you  do  dat.  I  tink  you  want  to  make 
me  fool  one  time.' 

"I  asked  Tom  one  day  if  he  had  felt  a 
change  of  heart  at  any  time. 


124  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

"  'Please,  sare,  I  can't  tell;  I  tink  so.' 

"  'Was  it  when  Mr.  Bilhiemer  was  here  ?' 

"  'No,  sare,  I  bin  try  dis  time,  but  I  no 
catch.' 

"  'Did  you  pray  ?'  I  asked. 

"  'I  been  pray  leetle,  sare,  but  no  too  much; 
but  when  Mr.  Bilhiemer  be  go,  sare,  I  pray 
too  much,  sare.' 

"  'And  then  you  were  converted,  you  think, 
do  you  ?' 

"  'I  tink  so,  sare.     Please,  sare,  I  get  cold.' 

"  'We  are  going  to  have  prayer-mpetings, 
and  you  must  come  and  get  warmed  up.' 

"  'I  come,  sare.' 

"When  we  were  up  to  Harrowtown  the 
people  were  having  a  grand  powwow  over 
some  god  of  theirs.  I  asked  Tom  if  he  could 
get  me  a  god.  He  went  out  and  returned  in 
a  few  moments,  saying,  'Please,  massa,  I  fetch 
him,"  handing  me  a  smooth  stone  about  the 
size  of  a  large  apple. 

"'Where  did  you  get  him,  Tom  ?  said  L' 

"  'Please,  sare,  I  tief  him.' 

"  'But  I  don't  think  that's  right,  Tom.' 

"  'Please,  sare,  I  don't  think  I  can  go  to 
hell  for  dat.' 

"Taking   everything   into    consideration   I 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  125 

have  hopes  of  Tom.  They  all  want  some  one 
to  oversee  them.  Tom  is  doing  very  well 
now.     Yours  in  Christ. 

J.  GOMER." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Mr.  Gomer's  faithfulness — Visits  Harrowtown — Day    and 
Sabbath-school— Interest  of  the  king  in  the  mission. 

MR.  Gomer's  labors  in  Africa  have  thus 
far  been  eminently  successful.  He 
goes  to  the  people  in  such  simplicity,  earnest- 
ness, and  faith  that  he  immediately  wins  their 
confidence  and  impresses  them  with  the  im- 
portance of  the  message  he  brings.  If  he 
goes  to  villages  on  business,  as  he  must  fre- 
quently do,  he  takes  occasion  to  preach  to  the 
people,  visit  the  sick,  and  point  all  to  Jesus 
Christ.  That  the  reader  may  the  better  un- 
derstand his  mode  of  operations,  the  difficul- 
ties that  lie  in  his  path,  and  the  prospect  of 
overcoming  them,  I  give  below  a  part  of  a 
business  letter  written  to  the  corresponding 
secretary  the  11th  of  March,  1871  : 

''On  the  the  13th  of  February  we  reached 
Shengay,  and  on  the  20th  I  opened  a  school 
in  the  barre  in  town  with  fifteen  scholars. 
We  were  very  much  annoyed  one  day  by  loaf- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  127 

ers  and  bad  children.  They  had  a  grand 
powwow  all  day  near  the  barre,  and  the  old 
man  Caulker  said  they  would  frequently  want 
the  barre  for  court  purposes,  so  I  have  moved 
the  school  out  to  the  mission.  We  have 
twenty-seven  scholars  as  the  average  attend- 
ance. Twenty-five  scholars  are  in  the  third 
reader,  two  in  the  second,  and  the  rest  spell- 
ing in  one  syllable. 

"Several  of  the  children  came  to  school 
naked.  On  the  third  day  I  cut  off  pieces  of 
blue  baft  the  proper  length,  cut  a  hole  for 
the  head,  and  at  night  told  them  they  must 
take  them  home  and  have  them  sowed  up, 
and  then  they  might  wear  them  while  in 
school,  but  not  out  of  school.  Some  of  the 
boys  never  came  back. 

"I  have  had  to  be  away  considerable  of 
late,  and,  not  willing  that  the  school  should 
stop,  I  have  employed  Thomas  Caulker  to 
teach  for  me. 

"My  wife  is  also  busily  engaged.  She 
teaches  the  little  girls  who  come  to  school 
how  to  sew.  She  is  also  teaching  the  chil- 
dren to  sing,  and  they  are  learning  rapidly. 

'•Thomas  Caulker  professes  to  be  religious, 
lie  is  very  anxious  to  teach  school.    lie  opens 


128  SHERBKO   MISSION. 

and  closes  the  school  with  prayer.  He  has 
good  order  in  school,  and  is  a  very  good 
scholar  himself.  He  also  teaches  a  class  in 
the  Sabhath-school.  I  pay  him  Is.  6d.  per 
day.  There  was  no  one  else  here  that  I  could 
get,  and  so  far  I  like  him  well. 

"I  hold  meetings  on  Sabbath.  In  town,  I 
regret  to  say,  the  meetings  are  not  well  at- 
tended. A  few  come  regularly,  among  them 
the  whole  of  the  Caulker  family — the  old 
man,  George  and  his  wife,  Thomas,  and 
James.  George  is  not  very  regular.  George 
and  the  old  man  profess  to  be  very  friendly, 
and  say  they  are  glad  they  have  a  colored 
missionary.  The  old  man  seems  to  be  very 
much  interested  in  the  meetings.  I  believe 
that  he  wants  to  be  a  Christian. 

"I  go  to  their  houses  and  talk  to  those  who 
do  not  come  to  meeting.  The  excuse  of  some 
is  that  they  have  no  clothes,  others  say  they 
will  come,  but  they  never  get  there.  Some 
stand  outside  the  barre  and  look  in.  Mrs. 
Williams  says  they  are  not  allowed  to  attend 
the  meetings.  Others  say  that  it  is  not  so, 
that  all  may  attend  who  wish.  I  think  that 
things  will  all  come  out  right  in  the  end. 

"The  Sabbath-school  is  about  the  same  as 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  129 

» 

the  day-school.  Both  ought  to  be  much 
larger  than  they  are.  When  I  am  at  home  I 
generally  have  a  Bible  class  Wednesday 
nights,  and  as  soon  as  possible  I  want  to  or- 
ganize a  prayer  meeting.  There  are  several 
liere  who  profess  to  be  Christians,  and  some 
say  they  want  to  be, 

"On  the  first  of  March  I  went  up  the  Cock- 
barrow  River  to  Harrowtown.  It  is  about 
thirty  miles  from  Shengay.  Satan  has  it  all 
his  own  way  there.  The  people  say  they 
never  heard  of  the  God  of  heaven  nor  of 
Jesus  Christ.  They  say  no  missionary  lias 
ever  been  there  before.  Tom  says  Mr.  Wil- 
liams had  been  there,  but  never  talked  to 
them  about  God.  I  was  there  two  days  en- 
gaged in  buying  rice.  I  talked  to  some  pri- 
\'ately  during  the  day,  and  at  night  I  talked 
to  them  all  at  the  barre.  After  talking  about 
one  half  hour  I  stopped.  'Please,  sah,'  said 
Tom,  'dem  say  dey  want  you  to  tell  um  some 
more.'  I  then  talked  a  while  longer.  They 
were  very  attentive,  and  desired  that  I  should 
come  again.  Tom  says  that  some  of  them 
told  him  that  what  I  told  them  was  true. 
One  woman  said  next  day  that  she  had  not 
slept  all  night  for  thinking  of  what  had  been 


180  SHERBRO   MISSIOl!^. 

said.  She  said  she  had  always  thought  their 
was  some  other  God  besides  theirs,  but  had 
never  heard  about  him  before.  She  promised 
that  she  would  not  worship  their  gods  any- 
more. I  taught  her  to  say,  'Lord,  be  merciful 
to  me,  a  sinner.'  She  promised  to  say  it  every 
day  till  I  came  again.  She  is  the  head-man's 
wife,  and  I  think  she  is  sincere. 

"I  also  talked  to  a  girl  about  eighteen  years 
of  affe  who  was  sick.  I  told  her  of  Jesus. 
Great  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks.  She  was 
too  weak  to  talk.  I  should  have  liked  to  stop 
there  longer.  I  would  like  to  visit  these 
towns  often  and  talk  to  the  people,  but  I 
can  not  well  leave  the  school. 

"I  am  very  hopeful  that  good  will  be  ac- 
complished at  Shengay.  I  had  a  long  talk 
with  old  Mr.  Caulker  last  night.  He  makes 
fair  promises,  if  he  will  only  keep  them.  He 
says  Lucy  Caulker,  his  daughter,  was  con- 
verted in  this  mission  and  is  a  Christian. 
He  seems  proud  of  her.  God  only  knows 
the  old  man's  heart.  I  leave  all  with  God. 
Pray  for  Africa." 

Several  things  in  this  letter  appear  wonder- 
ful.   When  Lucy  Caulker  was  first  converted* 

*Chapter  VI. 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  131 

her  parents  took  her  away  from  the  mission 
and  severely  punished  her.  l^ow  she  is  great- 
ly heloved  of  he^-  father  because  she  is  a 
Christian  !  Then  how  strange  to  hear  of  Mr. 
Caulker  and  his  whole  family  attending  the 
meetings  of  our  missionaries,  and  in  every 
way  possible  helping  to  reach  and  save  the 
people  !  Surely  God  is  at  work  among  these 
people.  Mr.  Gomer  believes  that  the  king 
wants  to  be  a  Christian,  yet  he  scarcely  dare 
say  it  lest  somebody  will  call  him  fanatic  or 
foolish.  "But,"  says  Mr.  Gomer,  "he  acts 
and  talks  like  a  man  who  is  heartily  tired  of 
sin.  To  me  it  appears  he  is  sincere,  but  I  can 
not  read  his  heart.  I  leave  the  whole  matter 
with  God,  who  understands  the  whole  case." 
On  reading  this  one  scarcely  knows  which  to 
admire  most,  the  king's  change  of  conduct, 
or  the  missionary's  humble  trust  in  God. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Conversion  of  King  Caulker. 

WE  have  seen  what  a  great  change  has 
come  over  the  headman  of  Shengay, 
Mr.  Caulker.  If  the  reader  will  go  back  to 
Chapter  IV.,  when  Mr.  Flickinger  visited  him 
repeatedly  in  his  exile  at  Bendoo,  and  observe 
how  slow  he  was  to  grant  the  privilege  to  lo- 
cate a  mission  in  his  territory,  and  remember 
his  secret  opposition  to  the  mission  for  3^ears 
after,  he  will  be  astonished  at  the  bare  sug- 
gestion of  his  conversion  to  God.  If  he  will 
consider,  moreover,  that  this  man  was  brought 
up  entirely  under  the  influence  and  teaching 
of  idolatry,  and  probably  never  heard  of  our 
Lord  and  Savior  before  he  was  forty  or  fifty 
years  of  age;  that  he  owned  many  slaves,  and 
had  a  number  of  wives,  his  astonishment  will 
be  greatly  increased  when  he  is  told  that  this 
old  man  is  converted.  And  yet  such  is  the 
report — I  was  about  to  say  the  fact.  And 
why  not  ?     Have  w^e  not  known  persons  con- 


SHERERO    MiSSrON.  133 

verted  at  an  advanced  age  in  this  conntrv  ? 
Have  we  not  known  great  sinners  to  be  for- 
given ?  Is  anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord? 
Biit  can  a  slave  holder  or  polj'gamist  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God?  Certainly  not  as  snch. 
But  can  not  God  forgive  such  if  they  repent  ? 
Has  he  not  promised  to  save  to  the  uttermost 
all  them  that  come  to  him  by  Jesus  Christ  ? 
The  only  question,  then,  is,  Did  Mr.  Caulker 
repent?  Was  he  really  penitent  ?  To  these 
questions  we  can  only  reply  that  he  acted  like 
he  was  very  penitent.  For  three  or  four 
months  before  he  died  he  was  a  changed  man 
as  to  his  entire  conduct.  He  forsook  the 
worship  of  idols.  He  sought  for  forgiveness 
through  Jesus  Christ.  He  professed  faith  in 
Christ.  He  prayed.  He  said  God  was  good 
and  precious  to  his  soul.  He  attended  public 
worship,  and  bore  the  cross  himself  before  the 
people.  He  recommended  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  salvation  to  the  people,  urging  them  to 
commit  their  souls  to  him,  and  to  give  up 
their  idolatry  and  superstition. 

In  a  letter  dated  June  15th,  1871;  Mr.  Co- 
rner writes : 

"We  are  still  very  much  encouraged  in  our 
work,  and  I  think  we  have  good  reason  to  be. 


134  6HERBR0   MISSION. 

Our  meetings  are  all  well  attended.  Often  at 
the  barre  great  numbers  stand  outside,  for 
want  of  room  inside.  We  have  prayer 
and  speaking  meeting  Sunday  nights  at  the 
l>arre.  The  building  is  illuminated  with 
palm  oil  light. 

*'Last  Sabbath  night  I  think  nearly  one  half 
stood  outside.  Old  Mr.  Caulker  himself  spoke 
to  the  people  and  urged  them  to  become 
Christians.  He  said  that  he  prayed  to  God, 
and  that  God  had  blessed  him,  and  he  knew 
that  religion  was  good.  He  spoke  in  the 
Sherbro  language,  and  the  people  were  very 
attentive." 

On  the  25th  of  June  he  again  wrote:  "I 
was  quite  feeble  from  fever,  but  started  very 
early,  took  my  time,  and  walked  into  town  to 
the  barre.  I  found  the  chief  already  there. 
He  is  usually  the  first  one  there,  and  teljs  the 
people  they  ought  all  to  be  there  before  the 
missionary  comes.  I  got  into  a  hammock 
and  rested  myself  till  11  o'clock.  By  this 
time  there  was  a  very  good  congregation. 
The  meeting  was  opened  with  singing  and 
prayer.  Mr.  T.  Caulker,  Jr.  read  and  inter- 
preted the  95th  Psalm.     I  then  talked  to  the 


I 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  135 

people  for  half  an  hour  from  the  fourth  verse 
of  the  23d  Psahn. 

"At  night  Thos.  Caulker  conducted  the 
meeting.  After  prayer  the  congregation 
sung : 

"  'Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 

But  that  thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  thou  bidst  me  come  to  thee, 
0  Lamb  of  God,  I  come.' 

*'The  venerable  chief  then  spoke  to  the 
people  in  the  Sherbro  language.  He  gave 
them  a  brief  account  of  his  former  life.  He 
had  been  a  man  of  war,  but  God  had  been 
good  to  him.  He  knew  that  God  had  pro- 
tected him,  and  he  was  thankful  to  God  for 
his  goodness  to  him.  He  knew  that  it  was 
good  to  serve  God.  He  hoped  that  every- 
body would  serve  God  and  become  Christians. 
God  had  sent  them  a  missionary  of  their  own 
color  to  teach  them  how  they  ought  to  live. 
He  hoped  that  God  would  bless  Mr.  Gomer 
and  his  wife  and  give  them  long  life. 

"On  Friday  a  big  palaver  was  brought  to 
Shengay  from  a  small  town.  A  man  had 
broken  their  law,  and  when  they  went  to  ar- 
rest him  he  ran  ofl  and  hid.  Then  they  seiz- 
ed his  two  wives  and  all  his  goods.     He  came 


136  SHERBKO    MISSION. 

to  protect  his  wives  and  goods,  and  all  were 
brought  to  the  chief  for  trial.  Saturday  the 
case  was  not  ended.  Mr.  Caulker  told  them 
they  would  hold  no  court  on  Sunday,  for  that 
was  God's  day.  They  held  meeting  on  Sun- 
day. One  man  said  he  would  not  live  in 
such  a  town,  he  would  go  home." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Gomer  has 
good  reason  for  believing  that  the  chief  is 
converted.  He  feels  just  as  all  Christians 
should  feel,  that  it  is  a  great  triumph  of  grace, 
and  another  signal  token  of  God's  favor  to 
the  mission  and  of  his  approval  of  the  work 
we  have  undertaken  to  do.  True,  Mr.  Caul- 
ker's soul  is  worth  no  more  than  any  other 
man's  soul,  yet  his  conversion  at  his  advanced 
age,  and  the  influence  it  will  have  in  leading 
others  to  the  cross,  should  call  forth  devout 
thanksgiving  to  the  God  and  rock  of  our  sal- 
vation. ( 

But  it  will  be  still  asked.  Did  he  liberate 
his  slaves  ?  And  what  did  he  do  with  all  his 
wives  ?  He  did  just  nothing  at  all.  What  he 
would  have  done  if  his  life  had  been  prolong- 
ed no  one  can  tell.  Nor  can  any  one  tell  in 
his  condition  as  a  heathen  how  far  he  must 
go  to  be  accepted  of  the  Lord.     God  judges 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  137 

men  according  to  what  they  have,  and  not 
according  to  what  they  have  not.  How  much 
the  Lord  may  have  required  of  him,  and  how 
far  he  went  in  his  desires  and  purposes,  are 
questions  we  may  not  he  able  to  answer. 
Still  we  are  to  believe  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
came  to  save  men,  not  to  destroy  them.  He 
has  saved  many  others  as  old,  as  guilty,  and 
as  near  to  hell  as  Mr.  Caulker.  Why,  then, 
may  he  not  have  saved  this  old  chief?  He 
thus  gave  an  earnest  of  the  salvation  of  the 
people  as  soon  as  they  believe.  Now  that  the 
old  man  has  gone  they  will  remember  his 
words  and  his  prayers  just  before  his  death, 
and  be  inclined  to  seek  the  salvation  of  their 
souls.  At  any  rate  we  may  safely  rest  his  case 
in  the  Lord's  hands. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Other  souls  converted  —  Cheering    prospect — More   help 
wanted. 

IIN"  June  Mr.  Gomer  wrote  that  the  people 
were  greatly  interested  in  the  schools  and 
meetings  of  the  mission.  Every  canoe  that 
landed  at  Shengay  sent  a  delegation  to  the 
mission  "to  tell  them  how  d'ye."  Said  Mr. 
Gomer :  "Men  and  women  come  with  a  head- 
ache, a  colic,  a  sore  foot,  or  a  sick  baby.  The 
men  get  into  palavers  (disputes  or  quarrels), 
and  come  to  me  to  adjust  the  difficulty.  All 
must  be  waited  on.  Thomas  interprets  for 
me.  He  sings  and  prays  and  talks  to  the  peo- 
ple very  earnestly  about  religion." 

He  had  at  this  time  a  wide  door  of  useful- 
ness opened  to  him.  The  people  thronged  to 
him,  some  for  one  purpose  and  some  for  an- 
other, but  among  the  many  there  were  no 
doubt  some  who  came  sincerel}^  inquiring  the 
way  of  life.  Of  his  elfbrts  Mr.  Gomer  wrote: 
"On  Wednesday  nights  we  have  meetings  in 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  139 

the  mission  parlor.  Quite  a  number  attend. 
Some  nights  the  parlor  is  crowded.  Quite  a 
number  speak  and  express  a  desire  to  become 
Christians.  I  think  that  several  are  in  real 
earnest.  Among  them  is  one  of  George 
Caulker's  wives,  and  one  son  about  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  one  of  old  Mr.  Caulker's 
daughters.  Thomas,  my  headman,  is  doing 
splendidly.  I  can  find  no  fault  with  him. 
He  says  God  blesses  his  soul  and  makes  him 
feel  good  in  his  heart.  Two  more  of  the  mis- 
sion hands  have  spoken  in  meeting  and  asked 
to  be  prayed  for.  In  the  Sabbath-school  we 
have  had  as  high  as  seventy  scholars,  but  for 
the  last  two  Sabbaths  we  have  had  but  fifty- 
six  scholars  and  seven  teachers. 

"I  forgot  to  say,  in  the  proper  place,  that  I 
have  organized  two  classes  for  seekers.  I 
have  one,  and  a  Sierre  Leone  man  that  is 
stopping  here  has  the  other.  Some  of  the 
seekers  are  too  timid  to  speak  in  the  public 
meetings,  so  we  have  private  meetings.  I 
think  it  a  good  plan. 

"On  Monday  night  my  class  met  at  the 
mission.  The  class  is  for  professors  and  seek- 
ers.    One   old  man  who  wants  to  serve  God 


L 


140  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

joined  tne  class.  He  asked  Mrs.  Goraer  what 
lie  must  say  when  he  got  up. 

"On  Wednesday  night  I  was  able  to  attend 
the  prayer-meeting.  After  several  had  spok- 
en a  poor  cripple  followed  by  the  name  of 
Farrbooto.  He  has  been  very  attentive  to  all 
the  meetings.  He  said:  'This  gospel  no 
come  for  Sherbro  country  people.  The  gos- 
pel be  for  white  people,  and  people  what 
sabba  (understand)  book.'  He  said  he  was  a 
poor  sinner  and  had  nowhere  to  go.  He 
wished  God  would  have  mercy  on  him.  He 
liked  for  to  go  to  heaven,  buf  the  gospel  was 
not  for  such  as  him.  He  spoke  in  Sherbro. 
This  is  the  interpretation. 

"On  the  first  Sabbath  in  July  George  Caul- 
ker volunteered  to  interpret  for  me.  There 
was  a  chief  present  from  the  Turtle  Islands. 
He  has  been  stopping  at  Shengay  several 
weeks.  He  spoke  to  the  people  about  the 
new  and  strange  things  he  heard  from  the 
missionary.  He  said  he  knew  nothing  of  this 
God  palaver  before  he  came  here,  but  he  be- 
lieved it  was  all  true,  and  he  was  going  to 
leave  one  of  his  boys  here  to  learn  about  it  in 
the  mission  school.     This  he  has  done." 

These   quotations  will   impress  the  reader 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  141 

with  the  sad  condition  of  these  poor  people. 
They  are  ignorant  to  the  last  degree.  They 
'are  without  hope,  and  without  God  in  the 
world.  They  literally  "sit  in  the  region  and 
shadow  of  death."  It  is  very  touching  to 
note  how  sad  they  feel,  and  express  them- 
selves as  being  forsaken  and  uncared  for  by 
the  great  God.  It  is  a  deplorable  state.  And 
then  the  missionary  has  great  difficulty  to 
communicate  with  them  even  if  they  are  ever 
so  anxious  to  learn,  and  he  ever  so  anxious  to 
teach  them.  It  is  a  tedious  process,  ^o 
wonder  one  said  plaintively  that  she  never 
knew  anything  of  the  great  God,  for  nobody 
ever  told  her  anything  about  him,  and  anoth- 
er that  this  gospel  was  only  for  white  men  or 
book  men.  These  expressions  so  often  utter- 
ed in  conversation,  leave  no  room  to  doubt 
that  there  is  quite  a  wide-spread  feeling  among 
these  people  of  guilt,  of  desolation,  of  wretch- 
edness and  woe,  resulting  from  their  igno- 
rance of  God  and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

But  the  reader  will  observe  an  anxiet}^  to 
find  a  better  way.  They  seek  the  light.  As 
the  day  dawns  upon  them  they  look  up  and 
thank  God.  When  the  missionary  of  the 
cross  preaches  to  them  they  urge  him  to  come 


142  SflfiRBRO   MISSION. 

and  preach  to  them  again.  They  hang  upon 
his  words  with  great  interest.  This  is  certain- 
ly a  very  hopeful  feature.  The  Church 
should  regard  this-^s  the  the  Lord's  set  time 
to  favor  Zion  in  Africa,  and  rally  her  forces. 
''Ethiopia  is  stretching  forth  her  hands  to 
God."  The  Church  ought,  therefore,  to  im- 
prove the  rising  tide.  ^V  e  have  waited  and 
worked  long  in  the  hope  of  saving  souls  in 
Africa,  and  now  that  the  people  are  beginning 
to  turn  to  the  Lord  every  man  should  buckle 
on  the  armor  and  march  to  the  front,  for 

"There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 
Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune; 
Omitted,  all  the  voyage  of  their  life, 
Is  bound  in  shallows  and  in  miseries, 
On  such  a  full  sea  are  we  now  afloat ; 
And  we  must  take  the  current  when  it  serves, 
Or  lose  our  ventures." 

Mr.  Gomer  early  observed  this  rising  tide, 
and  resolved  to  make  the  most  of  it  He  and 
his  wife  went  to  work  with  great  earnestness, 
doing  whatsoever  their  hands  found  to  do 
with  their  might.  !N"ay  more,  he  put  others 
to  work.  Whoever  could  be  found  that  might 
be  induced  to  do  something  to  instruct  their 
fellows-  was  immediately  mustered  into  ser- 
vice. He  hereby  showed  his  capacity  not  only 
to  comprehend  the  situation  of  things,  but  to 


sHERi^Ro  >nssio^.  143 

take  advantage  of  them,  control  them,  and 
bring  the  people  into  snbjection  to  his  plans 
-of  operation,  and  nltimatel j  to  the  truth  itself* 
He  also  began  to  communicate  to  the  Board 
his  need  of  reenforcements.  He  wanted  more 
preachers,  more  teachers,  more  books,  more  of 
everything  that  would  enable  him  to  go  on 
with  the  work.  In  one  letter  he  writes  :  ''I 
have  visited  several  towns  up  the  rivers.  It  is 
distressing  to  see  what  a  strong  hold  the  enemy 
has  upon  the  people.  We  ought  to  have  more 
laborers.  Give  us  more  help;  but  let  it  be  of 
the  right  kind."  In  another  he  wrote  :  "I 
look  for  help  this  fall.  Be  sure  and  send 
some  one  to  take  charge  of  the  finances.  I 
am  willing  to  do  anything  else.  Please  send 
a  few  common  Bibles  and  some  United  Breth- 
ren hymn-books.  I  know  you  will  pray  for 
us  in  Africa."  And  in  still  another  he  said  : 
"I  urged  Mrs.  Hadley  to  come  here.  We 
need  her  very  much.  The  school  children 
like  her,  and  she  could  so  well  instruct  the 
women  here.  They  need  a  woman  to  talk  to 
them.  You  say  nothing  in  your  letter  about 
a  new  chapel.  We  ought  to  have  one.  If 
the  school  gets  much  larger  our  parlor  will  be 
too  small." 


h 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Death  of  the  king — The  field  large  and  ripe. 

THE  conversion  of  Mr.  Caulker,  the  king 
of  Shengay,  has  been  ah'eady  referred 
to.  The  reader  has  also  seen  what  kind  of 
man  he  was  before  the  mission  was  located 
there,  and  how  for  long  years  our  missionaries 
were  obliged  to  contend  with  his  tacit  and 
sometimes  open  opposition  to  their  labors. 
It  now  becomes  my  duty  to  record  his  death. 
And  if  the  reader  still  has  any  doubts  of  the 
genuineness  of  his  conversion,  the  account  of 
his  last  sickness  and  triumphant  death  will 
certainly  remove  these  doubts. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  1871,  Mr.  Corner 
wrote  to  the  corresponding  secretary  : 

"Thomas  Stephen  Caulker,  our  okl  chief, 
or  king,  is  dead  !  He  died  on  the  fifteenth  of 
this  month,  between  six  and  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening.  I  had  been  with  him  all  day. 
His  faith  in  God  was  firm  to  the  last.  He 
sent  for  me  early  in  the  morning  and  asked 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  145 

me  to  hold  meeting.  I  read  passages  of 
the  scriptures,  and  several  of  us  sang  and 
prayed  with  him  through  the  day.  In  this 
he  took  pleasure.  He  talked  mostly  in  the 
Sherbro  language.  His  pains  were  severe, 
but  he  bore  them  with  patience.  The  hist 
words  that  I  heard  him  say  in  English  were, 
^'Salvation  only  through  Jesus  Christ;  Jesus 
Christ  is  very  merciful,"  and  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  a  prayer  in  Sherbro  he  said,  ''For  Jesus 
Christ's  sake.  Amen."  He  talked  much  in 
Sherbro.  William  and  Thomas  Caulker  were 
both  present  They  said  he  was  sometimes 
talking  about  God,  at  other  times  he  was  pray- 
in  2:.  It  was  near  six  o'clock  when  I  left  the 
mission.  I  had  just  finished  my  dinner  when 
I  heard  the  cry.  The  whole  town  set  up  a 
howl  or  cry.  Those  who  were  present  say  he 
died  quietly,  and  was  sensible  to  the  last. 
George  was  not  in  town,  but  came  the  next 
day.  He  made  the  people  behave  themselves, 
and  sent  for  me.  We  had  reading  of  Script- 
ures, singing,  and  praying  at  the  wake. 

"The  town  was  full  of  strangers  when  the 
old  man  died,  having  heard  that  he  was  very 
sick.     The  funeral  took  place  on  the  seven- 
teenth, at  Tasso,  about  three  miles  up  the  coast. 
10 


146  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

At  George's  request  I  went  with  them  and 
held  burial  services.  The  Purrow  Society 
were  out  in  full  force,  and  it  was  with  diffi- 
culty that  I  was  permitted  to  say  the  ceremo- 
ny and  pray.  George  interpreted  the  whole  of 
it.  The  people  here  were  too  many  for  George. 
He  could  not  manage  them.  He  does  not  be- 
long to  the  Purrow  Society,  neither  did  the 
old  man.  But  the  society  took  possession  of 
the  deceased  chief,  called  up  the  devil,  drank 
rum,  and  had  a  great  time,  lasting  more  than 
a  week.  The  most  of  Shengay  remained  in 
Tasso  several  days,  mourning  and  drinking 
rum  Such  is  heathenism.  George  came 
home  and  attended  meeting  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  went  back  Monday.  People  are  still 
coming  in  every  day  from  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

<'Some  people  will  not  believe  that  the  old 
man  Caulker  has  gone  to  heaven.  They  say 
he  was  too  wicked.  They  do  not  believe  God 
ever  forgave  his  sins.  They  think  he  just 
fooled  the  people  by  saying  he  had  religion. 
I  can  not  say  whether  he  is  in  heaven  or  not. 
I  judge  from  the  man's  actions.  Since  the 
middle  of  last  March  there  was  a  great 
change  in  the  old  man.    He  told  me  that  God 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  147 

had  blessed  him,  and  when  strangers  were  in 
town  on  Sundays  he  would  always  tell  thera 
they  must  attend  meeting  at  the  chapel.  I 
believe  I  told  you  in  a  former  letter  about  his 
speaking  in  prayer-meetings.  There  are  many 
things  that  I  have  noticed  which  strengthens 
my  faith  in  him,  besides  many  prayers  have 
been  ofiered  in  his  behalf  at  his  request.  Are 
these  prayers  all  lost  ? 

"George  Caulker,  w^ho  is  now  the  king  of 
the  country,  requests  me  to  get  everybody  in- 
to the  school  that  I  possibly  can.  I  hope  the 
churches  at  home  will  pray  earnestly  for  his 
conversion.  Will  you  see  that  they  do  it? 
He  has  a  great  influence  over  the  people 
that  we  need  in  the  church.  I  believe  God 
will  give  him  to  the  church  if  the  church 
asks  for  him. 

"Our  day-school  of  late  averages  about 
thirty,  several  of  them  slave  children.  All 
may  attend  now  if  they  wish  ;  and  for  this 
victory  over  Satan  I  thank  God. 

"Zou  say  nothing  in  your  letter  about  send- 
ing a  preacher  out  here.  There  are  people 
here  who  want  to  be  baptized,  and  others  who 
desire  to  be  married.  A  young  man  came  to 
me  a  few  days  ago  and  got  a  piece  of  cloth  to 


148  ^  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

give  to  the  mother  of  a  young  girl  that  he  is 
going  to  marry,  and  requested  me  to  marry 
them  ^American  fashion.'  I  told  him  that  I 
could  not  marry  him  as  I  was  not  a 
minister.  He  seemed  very  much  disap- 
pointed. I  told  him  that  I  could  send  and 
get  an  English  minister,  and  have  him  mar- 
ried English  fashion  and  that  would  do  just 
as  well.  He  agreed  to  this,  and  we  are  to 
have  an  English  wedding  at  the  mission. 

"The  people  here  still  insist  on  calling  me 
a  preacher.  To  please  the  people  I  preached 
a  funeral  sermon  for  old  Mr.  Caulker.  I  think 
that  when  God  calls  me  to  preach  he  will 
qualify  me.  I  can  talk  and  work  among  these 
country  people  very  well,  and  they  seem  well 
pleased;  and  when  they  speak  or  pray  they 
thank  God  for  sending  them  a  missionary  of 
their  own  color." 

Before  Mr.  Gomer  went  to  Africa  he  had 
been  repeatedly  urged  to  accept  license  to 
preach  the  gospel,  both  by  his  own  congrega- 
tion and  by  several  ministers,  but  he  always 
refused,  saying  he  thought  he  could  do  more 
good  with  his  attainments  and  surroundings 
without  it.  Since  he  has  gone  to  Africa, 
however,  the  quarterly  conference  to  which 


SHEllBRO   MISSION.  149 

he  had  belonged  for  years  received  a  recom- 
mendation from  the  congregation  and  grant- 
ed him  license  to  preach.  The  document  was 
forwarded  to  him,  and  was  really  on  the  way 
when  the  foregoing  letter  was  written.  So 
that  he  was  soon  not  only  called  of  the  Lord, 
but  duly  commissioned  of  the  Church  to  sol- 
emnize marriage  and  administer  the  ordin- 
ances of  the  house  of  God,  as  well  as  preach 
the  everlasting  gospel. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Farming— Commerce— Wages— Courtship— Marriage. 

THE  state  of  society  existing  in  Africa, 
the  deep  degradation  ol  the  people, 
the  pressing  necessity  for  the  gospel,  and 
its  civilizing,  saving  influences  are  forcibly 
illustrated  by   the  following  letter : 

"Rev.  W.  McKee,  Dayton,  Ohio: 

''^Dear  Brother — As  you  ask 
me  to  write  something  for  the  book  you  are 
preparing,  I  can  not  feel  content  without  mak- 
ing an  eflbrt.  You  know  that  the  different 
tribes  have  different  habits  and  customs. 
What  knowledge  I  have  of  the  Africans  re- 
lates chiefly  to  the  Sherbro  people.  We  are 
surrounded  by  the  Gallians,  Timmany,  and 
Kossoos.  There  are  many  Mohammedans 
among  these  tribes.  The  Sherbroes  are  dis- 
posed to  be  rather  an  industrious  and  inge- 
nious people,  though  their  p^-incipal  business 
is  'making  farms,'  as  they  call  it.  A  farm 
consists  of  a  half  acre  up  to  three,  four,  or  six 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  151 

acres  of  land.  Their  principal  crop  is  rice 
and  cassada.  They  also  raise  large  quantities 
of  ground-nuts,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  cocoes, 
corn  and  squashes. 

"Fruit  is  not  much  cultivated  as  there  is  no 
market  for  it,  and  the  natives  seem  to  care 
very  little  for  it.  Plantains,  pine-apples,  ba- 
nanas, mangoes,  pears  (not  like  the  American 
pears)  are  cultivated  to  some  extent.  We 
have  also  the  bread-fruit  and  the  bread-nut 
that  grows  on  trees.  The  cocoa-nut  and  a 
great  variety  of  plums,  and  the  guava  out  of 
which  a  delicious  jelly  is  made,  grow  spontan- 
eously. There  are  also  many  varieties  of 
berries,  growing  wild,  but  these  are  chiefly 
sought  after  by  the  children. 

"In  making  their  farms  they  never  culti- 
vate the  same  piece  of  ground  two  years  in 
succession,  on  account  of  the  weeds,  which 
they  say  'grow  too  much.'  No  person  owns 
any  land  individually.  All  belongs  to  the 
king,  and  each  person  can  make  a  farm  where 
he  pleases.  Last  year  we  had  four  farms  on 
the  mission  grounds,  besides  our  own.  They 
asked  permission,  however.  By  allowing 
them  to  make  their  farms  we  get  the  bushes 
cut  down  and  cleaned  away  for  nothing. 


152  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

Farms  are  usually  made  just  outside  of  the 
towns.  Ko  fence  is  made  about  them.  In 
February  the  men  with  their  cutlasses  cut 
down  the  bushes  which  are  very  thick,  gather 
up  the  vines  and  weeds,  and  when  all  are  dry 
they  burn  them.  Then  the  women  plant  the 
cassada,  here  and  there,  without. any  system. 
The  seed  of  the  cassada  is  the  stalk.  It 
is  cut  in  pieces  about  four  or  six  inches 
long.  One  end  is  put  in  the  ground  three 
fourths  the  length  of  it.  It  soon  begins  to 
grow.  In  a  few  days  the  men  scatter  the  rice 
over  the  ground,  and  then  dig  the  ground  all 
over  with  a  little  implement  that  makes  an  ef- 
fort to  be  a  hoe.  This  done  the  women  and 
children  must  keep  the  birds  ofl*  till  it  is  up 
pretty  high.  The  men's  work  is  now  done 
until  the  rice  is  ready  to  cut.  They  can  stay 
in  town  and  amuse  themselves  by  playing 
games,  drumming,  or  visiting  the  other  vil- 
lages. Sometimes  they  fish  and  hjimt.  When 
the  rice  begins  to  head,  the  birds  must  be 
kept  off  again  until  it  ripens  and  is  cut.  The 
birds  are  very  troublesome. 

"When  they  harvest  the  rice  the  men  go 
into  the  patch  with  a  knife  or  small  stick  with 
a  sharp  edge  and   clip  off  one  head  at  a  time. 


\ 


SIJimBRO    MISSION.  158 

It  is  tied  in  small  bunches  and  hung  on  a 
stick  or  stump  to  dry.  When  dry  it  is  tramp- 
ed out  by  the  feet  or  beaten  out  with  a  stick. 
After  it  is  threshed  it  is  put  into  very  large 
baskets  or  'bunkies,'  as  they  call  them.  It  is 
now  ready  for  the  trader. 

*'Many  of  the  traders  are  colored  men  do- 
ing business  for  themselves.  Many  are  agents 
for  white  men.  Most  of  these  men  are  na- 
tives of  Freetown,  Sierre  Leone,  and  can 
read  and  write.  They  have  been  educated  by 
missionaries,  and  their  principal  stock  for 
trade  is  rum,  tobacco,  some  miserably  cheap 
dry  goods,  a  few  beads,  earrings,  charms,  &c. 
The  rice  is  soon  exchanged  for  these  articles, 
at  an  immense  profit  to  the  trader.  The 
trader  knows  it  is  wrong  to  take  advantage 
of  these  poor,  ignorant  creatures  in  this  way, 
but  their  apology  is  that  they  are  driven  to 
it  to  procure  for  themselves  a  living.  Hav- 
ing been  educated  by  Europeans,  they  have 
adopted  their  dress  and  many  of  their  cus- 
toms. It  costs  something  to  keep  this  up. 
Freetown  is  thronged  with  applicants  for  sit- 
uations. Clerks  get  from  £1  10s.  to  £3  per 
month.  Police-men  get  from  £1  to  £1  10s. 
per  month.     Mechanics  got   from    thirty -six 


154  I  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

cents  to  $1  per  day.  Many  have  to  support 
large  families,  and  pay  rent  or  taxes.  They 
are  frequently  out  of  employment.  Farming 
pays  poorly.  Large  quantities  of  ginger  and 
arrow-root  are  raised,  but  the  prices  paid  by 
merchants  are  very  low.  They  give  what  they 
please.  As  there  is  no  market  but  Freetown 
they  control  the  market.  Palm-nuts  are 
gathered  in  large  quantities  and  shipped  to 
England  and  France.  Many  ships  and  steam- 
ers go  out  of  Freetown  with  full  cargoes  of 
palm-nuts,  pea-nuts,  ginger,  and  arrow-root. 
Hundreds  of  bushels  of  palm-nuts  are  never 
gathered  at  all.  The  hull  of  these  nuts  make 
a  very  good  oil  for  cooking  or  burning.  The 
nuts  are  boiled  with  this  hull  on.  After  boil- 
ing they  are  put  into  a  mortar  and  the  hull 
beat  off.  These  are  put  into  a  large  pot  of 
water  and  boiled  again.  The  oil  comes  to 
the  top  of  the  pot,  and  is  skimmed  oil'  and 
boiled  down.  The  nuts  are  then  cracked  by 
children,  the  kernel  taken  out  and  sold  to 
river  traders  for  rum  at  twenty-four  cents  per 
bottle,  containing  less  than  a  quart.  This 
miserable  stuff  is  made  in  America,  and  very 
much  adulterated  here.  The  trader  takes 
his  kernels  to  town  and  sells  them  for  cash. 


I 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  155 

"If  the  natives  want  fine  oil,  they  put  a 
quantity  of  these  kernels  in  an  iron  pot, 
roast  them  thoroughly,  then  beat  them  and 
boil  them  as  before.  This  is  very  tedious 
work,  as  the  kernels  require  much  beating. 
This  is  called  nut-oil;  the  finest  is  called 
palm-oil. 

"Wine  is  taken  from  the  palm-tree  by 
tapping  it  and  holding  a  bottle  to  catch 
the  sap.  This  the  natives  are  very  fond  of 
drinking.  In  the  very  top  of  the  palm-tree 
grows  what  is  called  the  palm-cabbage,  a 
A^ery  excellent  vegetable. 

"Each  family  has  its  house  to  live  in,  but 
it  is  not  home.  There  is  no  family  govern- 
ment. The  wife  is  treated  more  like  a  serv- 
ant than  a  wife,  and  the  children  raise 
themselves.  If  a  man  wants  a  wife  he  selects 
a  girl,  and  takes  a  present  to  her  parents,  or 
owner,  if  she  is  a  slave.  This  present  is 
usually  some  sort  of  goods,  blue  or  white 
baft,  or  satin  stripe,  or  prints.  Sometimes 
rum  and  tobacco  is  taken.  If  the  parents  are 
not  satisfied  with  the  first  gifts,  more  must  be 
taken  ;  and  when  they  are  satisfied  they  let 
the  girl  go  and  live  with  the  man.  She  now 
belonors  to  him.     He  can  sell  her  or  Ids  chil- 


156  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

dren,  or  he  caa  pawn  them  for  money ;  and 
if  he  does  not  redeem  them,  the  man  who 
holds  the  pawn  can  sell  them. 

^'One  of  the  mission  men  had  bargained  for 
a  girl,  paid  the  goods  required,  and  had  a 
dress  made  for  the  girl  to  be  married  in,  as 
he  wished  to  be  married  'American  fashion.' 
When  the  parents  learned  this  they  refused 
to  let  the  girl  go.  The  father  said  that  the 
*  white  man  fashion  for  marry  was  a  bad 
fashion.  People  must  swear,  and  that  swear 
was  a  bad  swear,  for  true,  true.'  His  girl 
should  not  'swear  that  swear.'  She  might  go 
and  live  with  him  if  she  liked  without  swear- 
ing. But  he  refused  to  take  her,  as  he  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  Christian,  and  wants  to  marrj^ 
his  wife. 

"A  man  may  have  as  many  wives  as  he  can 
get,  and  as  a  rule  they  live  very  pleasantly 
together.  Parents  have  not  the  same  love 
for  their  children  here  as  in  America.  A 
chief  that  had  attended  meeting  at  the  barre, 
sent  a  son  to  live  in  Shengay  and  be  educated 
at  the  mission-school.  Some  wicked  people 
told  the  boy  that  his  father  had  sold  him  to 
the  white  man,  (they  call  me  white  man,) 
and  so  he  got  in  a  canoe  and  went  ofF  up  one 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  157 

of  the  rivers.  Some  weeks  after  the  father 
happened  at  the  town  where  he  was,  but 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  him,  saying 
'he  had  no  sense  in  his  head.'  He  has  sent 
another  boy  in  his  stead. 

*'Ever  yours  in  Christ, 

"Joseph  Gomer." 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

The  New  King — Catalogue  of  Converts. 

AFTER  the  death  of  the  old  king,  our  mis- 
sionaries were  somewhat  troubled  about 
what  might  follow.  George  Caulker,  the  heir 
to  the  throne,  was  not  a  Christian.  What  if  he 
should  be  a  persecutor  of  the  Christians  ? 
"What  if  he  should  refuse  to  allow  the  mis- 
sionaries to  labor  among  his  subjects?  But 
these  doubts  and  fears  were  soon  removed. 
In  a  brief  time  the  young  king  gave  them  as- 
surances of  sympathy,  and  every  reasonable 
assistance  that  he  could  render.  Thus  they 
had  renewed  assurances  that  the  King  of 
kings  is  for  them,  and  is  opening  a  door  for 
the  gospel  in  Africa  that  no  man  can  shut. 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Gomer,  writ- 
ten a  few  weeks  after  the  young  king  was  en- 
throned, illustrates,  incidentally,  their  fears 
in  relation  to  the  new  sovereign.  The  letter 
is  so  fresh  and  life-like  that  I  give  it  in  full 
to  the  reader : 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  159 

"Shengat  West  Africa,  November  1,  1871. 

"Rev.  Mr.  Flickinger,  Dayton,  O. 

''''Dear  Sir: — I  am  liappy  to 
inform  you  tliat  I  am  tolerably  well  to-day. 
I  have  had  no  fever  for  three  days,  but  my 
wife  is  in  rather  poor  health.  The  rains  are 
about  over,  and  the  place  is  looking  very 
finely. 

"The  porcupines  and  monkeys  are  begin- 
ning to  trouble  the  cassada  and  ground-nuts. 
Tom  caught  one  of  the  former  the  other  day. 
Since  the  rains  the  snakes  are  very  numerous. 
One  of  the  boatmen  cut  a  bunch  of  bananas, 
the  other  day,  and  he  was  bitten  on  the  hand 
by  a  snake  that  was  hidden  among  the  fruit. 
A  man  who  was  present  got  some  leaves  and 
chewed  them.  He  then  sucked  the  wound 
and  thus  drew  the  poison  out.  This  leaf  is 
said,  by  the  natives,  to  be  the  only  thing  that 
will  cure  the  bite  of  this  snake,  and  it  must 
be  applied  immediately.  A  very  large  snake 
was  in  the  top  of  the  cane  back  of  the  house 
a  few  days  ago.  I  sent  to  Shengay  and  got  a 
gun  to  shoot  it,  but  it  would  not  make  fire. 
Yesterday  I  went  to  visit  a  farm-house,  and 
took  one  of  the  men  along  for  a  guide.  The 
path  was  ver}-  narrow,  and  the  bush  was  very 


k 


160  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

high  and  thick.  'Walk  fast,  sir ;  walk  fast/ 
said  my  guide.  I  looked  up,  and  at  my  right, 
on  a  level  with  my  head,  was  a  green  snake, 
five  or  six  feet  in  length,  crawling  in  the 
hush.  Stephen,  the  guide,  got  a  stick  and 
dispatched  him.  I  asked  him  if  it  was  a  had 
snake.  He  replied,  ^He  bad  for  bite,  sir ; 
very  had;  and  he  can't  'fraid  for  man.' 

"Well,  about  the  meetings.  They  have 
been  neglected  by  me  very  much,  of  late.  I 
have  not  attended  night  meetings  in  town  at 
all  for  six  weeks.  I  have  held  only  one  meet- 
ing in  the  day-time  since  I  wrote  you  last. 
We  were  two  weeks  at  Good  Hope.  The 
converts  are  all  doing  well,  and  I  am  happy 
to  say  that  since  I  last  wrote  you  three  more 
profess  to  have  found  the  Savior.  One  is  one 
of  the  men's  wives.  Her  husband  also  says 
he  likes  to  pray  and  go  to  meeting,  and  that 
sometimes  he  can  feel  good  when  he  prays. 
But  he  will  not  speak  or  pray  in  meeting, — 
says  he  is  ashamed  to  speak.  The  third  per- 
son that  professes  religion  is  the  old  woman, 
Na  Yan  Kin,  who  used  to  make  mats  on  Sun- 
day. For  a  long  time  she  would  not  attend 
meeting  because  she  had  only  one  eye.  She 
attends  very  regularly  now, — says    slie   has 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  161 

been  praying  for  more  than  a  month  ;  that 
God  has  blessecl  her,  and  she  is  very  happy ; 
that  she  can  never  work  any  more  on  Sun- 
day. I  think  these  three  are  sincere.  I  ob- 
serve them  ver}^  closely  as  I  have  opportunity. 

"I  tell  all  the  people  that  polygamy  is 
wrong,  and  slavery,  also ;  and  t  am  doing  all 
I  can  to  put  a  stop  to  both.  I  am  quite  sure 
that  the  condition  of  the  slaves  is  much  bet- 
ter than  when  I  came  here.  I  am  trying  to 
have  them  all  liberated,  but  I  have  to  go 
slow. 

*'The  Sabbath  and  day  schools  are  both 
much  smaller  than  they  were  before  the  old 
chief's  death.  I  heard  that  George  would 
not  allow  the  slaves  to  atten  d ;  so  I  went  to 
see  him  about  it.  He  says  it  is  false ;  that 
all  who  wish  may  go.  But  the  rice  is  ripe 
now,  and  men,  women,  and  children  are  kept 
busy  driving  the  birds  away.  George  is  proud 
and  despotic.  This  very  morning  he  had 
his  step-mother's  brother — a  married  man — 
tied  to  a  tree  in  front  of  his  house  and  whip- 
ped very  severely  for  a  trifling  ofiense.  How- 
ever he  is  very  kind  to  the  mission,  and  sends 
many  presents  of  fresh  meat  since  the  death 


162  SHERBRO   MlSSlO^r. 

of   the  old  man.     He  often  kills  a  beef  or 
goat. 

"One  of  my  men  was  tied  and  taken  off 
the  other  night.  He  was  the  best  hand  I  had, 
to  work.  He  was  sleeping  in  Shengay.  He 
was  a  slave,  and  had  run  off  four  years  ago. 

^'Monday  morning^  November  6th.  This 
morning  the  man  who  had  been  carried  aWay 
is  at  the  mission  again.  He  got  away  from 
his  captors,  though  they  had  him  tied  hand 
and  foot.  His  master  lives  about  fifteen 
miles  from  this  place.  The  slave  is  worth 
about  six  pieces  of  cloth,  and  wants  me  to 
buy  him  so  he  can  work  and  redeem  himself, 
'  "I  attended  the  meeting  in  town  yesterday 
morning  and  evening.  At  night  there  was  a 
large  attendance,  many  having  come  in  from 
their  farms.  George  interpreted  for  me  all 
day.  At  the  close  of  the  evening  meeting 
he  wished  to  read  a  text  to  the  people.  He 
read,  with  a  few  remarks,  Proverbs  xvi.  15 
and  xix.  12.  The  slaves  all  seem  to  have  a 
sort  of  dread  of  him.  He  may  be  trying  to 
deceive  me. 

"Perhaps  you  would  like  to  have  a  list  of 
those  who  have  made  a  public  profession  of 
religion  here.     They  are,  the  old  Chief  Caul- 


L 


SflERBRO    MISSION.  163 

ker;  Kate  and  Polly,  his  daughters;  Jane 
and  Jenny,  wives  of  George  ;  Kong,  a  slave  ; 
Na  Yan  Kin,  a  slave ;  Thomas  and  Stephen, 
mission  hands  ;  Farrbooto,  the  little  man  who 
said,  ^The  gospel  not  come  for  poor  Sherbro 
people;'  and  Balla,  tjie  boatman's  wife.  I 
had  a  talk  with  the  boatman's  wife  this 
morning,  and  she  says  she  is  sure  her  husband 
has  been  blessed.  She  says  she  tells  him  to 
talk  in  meeting,  but  he  will  not.  I  do  not 
know  these  peoples'  hearts.  They  tell  me 
that  God  has  blessed  them,  and  I  can  not  say 
he  has  not. 

'^Freetown,  November  ISth,  I  reached  here 
on  the  15th.  I  thought  to  find  a  letter  here 
telling  me  when  to  look  for  Mrs.  Hadley  ;  but 
there  was  no  letter  here.  I  see  in  the  Teles- 
cope that  she  is  on  the  way.  I  see,  also,  that 
we  are  to  have  a  preacher.  I  am  very  glad 
of  this,  for  our  cook  is  wanting  to  marry,  and 
we  need  a  preacher  very  much,  anyhow.  I 
see,  also,  that  the  Ludlow  Street  brethren 
have  nicely  complimented  me  by  giving  me 
license  to  preach.  I  am  praying  now  that 
God  will  give  me  wisdom  and  make  me  a 
preacher,  indeed. 

"I   am  oflad   we  are    to  have   a   nice   boat. 


164  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

God  will  reward  those  Sandusky  brethren. 
They  shall  have  my  prayers.  "Will  you  pray 
for  us  ?  and  for  George  Caulker  especially  ? 
His  proud  heart  must  be  humbled.  God  can 
and  will  do  it,  I  believe. 

"Joseph  Gomer." 


^ 

I 
I 


t 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

Two  more  missionaries   sent — Letters   from   Mrs.   Hadley, 
and  Mr.  Gomer. 

AS  the  work  increased  in  Africa  the 
Board  determined  to  send  additional 
laborers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gomer  were  doing 
well,  but  if  one  was  sick  it  required  the 
attention  of  the  other.  And  there  was  more 
work  than  thej  could  perfom.  So  the  ques- 
tion was  again  asked,  Whom  shall  we  send 
to  Africa?  The  answer  soon  came.  Mrs. 
Hadley  expressed  her  desire  to  return  and 
work  awhile  longer  for  Africa;  but  the  Board 
wauted  a  preacher.  Mr.  Gomer  was  not  or- 
dained ;  in  fact  he  was  not  even  licensed  to 
preach  the  gospel  when  he  went.  A  number 
of  souls  had  been  converted,  yet  it  seemed  im- 
proper for  him  to  administer  the  ordinances  of 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper,  or  to  solemn- 
ize the  marriage  rite.  He  therefore  insisted 
that  the  Board  send  an  ordained  minister  to  his 
assistance.    Accordingly  the  Board  appointed 


IQQ  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

the  Rev.  J.  A.  Evans,  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Michigan.  He  is  a  young  man  of  fine  ability, 
and  fair  education  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Michigan  conference.  After  his  appointment 
as  a  missionary  to  Africa  he  was  ordained  by 
Bisliop  Edwards  at  the  annual  session  of  the 
Michigan  Conference,  held  in  September, 
1871,  and  about  the  last  of  October,  of  the 
same  year,  Mr.  Flickinger  accompanied  the 
two  to  ]^ew  York,  and  saw  them  sail  for 
Africa.  After  a  tedious  and  rather  danger- 
ous voyage,  owing  to  stormy  weather,  they 
arrived  safely  in  Freetown  about  the  middle 
of  December.  Soon  they  were  taken  down 
the  coast  to  Shengay,  and  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  the  work  they  had  gone  to  perform. 
I  give  below  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Hadley 
shortly  after  their  arrival : 

"Shengay  Station,  W.  C.  A.,  Dec.  19, 1871. 

"  Brother  Flickinger  :  —  Through  the 
strange  leadings  of  Providence  I  am  again  on 
the  verdant  shores  of  Africa,  and  in  good 
health.  I  am  truly  thankful  to  God  for  per- 
mitting me  to  see  with  my  own  eyes  the  won- 
derful change  which  he  has  wrought  among 
this  people  since  my  return  to  America.  And 
I  think   no   one   can  gainsay  what  has  been 


•SHKRBRO    MISSION,  167 

wrought  by  our  devoted  missionaries,  Brother 
and  Sister  Gomer,  They  have,  been  pushing 
the  battle  to  the  enemy's  gate,  and  I  hope 
that  many  will  be  savingly  enlisted  under  the 
blood-stained  banner  of  King  Emmanuel. 

"  The  Sabbath-school  and  all  the  meetings 
are  very  interesting,  and  so  is  the  day-school, 
in  which  the  children  have  made  good  ad- 
vancement. The  speaking  and  prayer  meet- 
ings are  very  encouraging,  and  I  am  encour- 
aged to  hear  some  bear  witness  that  the  seed 
of  other  years'  planting  had  not  been  entirely 
lost,  but,  by  the  help  of  God,  they  prayed 
until  he  pardoned  their  sins.  And  never 
were  there  as  marked  omens  of  good  as  I  now 
find  among  this  people. 

"  Bro.  Gomer  is  a  real,  live  missionary.  He 
goes  to  Shengay  and  talks  to  the  people,  and 
also  visits  them  on  their  farms.  He  has  even 
exposed  his  health  in  the  rains,  and,  since  we 
came,  was  sick  with  the  fever.  His  wife  is 
now  having  the  chills,  which  I  hope  will  be 
broken  up  to-day.  I  am  really  glad,  for  their 
sakes  and  the  work's  sake,  that  we  are  here 
to  render  them  help  and  comfort.  They  have 
not  only  attended  to  the  spiritual  wants  ot 
the  people^  but  the   mission-house    and  its 


168  SHERBRO    MISSION." 

surroundings  exhibit  what  they  have  done. 
The  kitchen  is  good  and  convenient,  and  the 
mission-yard  is  well  kept  and  improved.  Bro. 
Gomer  has  also  built  a  nice  tomb  over  my 
child's  grave,  and  placed  the  stones  upon  it 
in  a  good  and  substantial  manner. 

"  Bro.  Gomer  has  done  much  of  his  work 
among  the  people,  in  the  way  of  teaching,  by 
the  aid  of  an  interpreter,  and  he  has  succeed- 
ed in  the  work  beyond  all  expectation. 
There  is,  surely,  a  great  change  taking  place 
among  this  people.  Even  the  young  ruler  is 
very  favorably  impressed,  and  renders  most 
valuable  service  in  our  mission-work.  He 
wields  a  great  influence  and  power  over  the 
people  to  bring  them  under  religious  teach- 
ing. And  we  have  bright  hopes  that  he  will 
soon  be  led  into  this  great  work,  like  Paul. 
He  is  a  man  of  fine  talent  and  education,  and 
can  turn  the  Scriptures  into  the  Sherbro  lan- 
guage in  a  ready  and  fluent  manner.  With 
what  I  know  of  the  Sherbro  tongue,  and  the 
thoughts  that  I  can  catch,  he  expounds  the 
Scriptures  well.  Oh,  may  the  Lord  bless  and 
save  him !  is  the  daily  prayer  of  those  so 
anxious  for  him  here. 

"  For  want  of  room   in  the  mission-house 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  169 

and  the  need  of  some  special  house  of  wor- 
ship, on  account  of  a  large  Sabbath -school 
and  other  meetings,  it  is  necessary  that  we 
have  a  chapel  built  just  as  soon  as  it  can  be 
reared.  And  as  we,  in  connection  with  the 
ruler  and  his  people,  think  it  best  to  have  it 
in  Shengay,  we  may  build  a  school-house  near 
mid-way  to  Shengay,  that  is,  in  the  country 
style.  The  stone  chapel  you  ordered  built 
will  be  needed,  also,  as  soon  as  it  can  be 
erected.  Hurry  up  the  money  for  it,  as  the 
one  we  are  building  will  last  but  a  few  years, 
and  both  are  needed, — the  one  in  Shenga3' 
and  the  other  nearer  the  mission  residence. 

"  The  ruler  and  his  people  are  ready  to  ren- 
der their  help  in  this  work,  and,  by  the  bless- 
ing of  God,  the  house  will  be  built.  The 
rainy  season  has  not  yet  closed,  but  I  think 
we  will  not  be  troubled  with  much  more  rain. 
The  weather  has  been  quite  cool,  and  we  had 
a  few  very  rainy  days.  Now  you  will  please 
excuse  us  for  any  haste  in  our  work,  as  our 
wants  and  the  shortness  of  the  dry  season, 
with  slowness  in  work  here,  demand  us  to 
move  forward  at  once.  And  the  people,  also, 
are  so  favorable  to  this  work  now.  You  may 
think  that  it  is  not  good  for  the  missionaries 


f 


170  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

to  have  the  chapel  so  far  away,  and  it  will  be 
more  inconvenient  in  some  respects ;  but  in 
the  end  we  will  be  able  to  secure  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  people  in  the  work  and  in  attend- 
ance ;  so  we  must  work  to  gain  the  people 
and  not  so  much  to  accommodate  ourselves. 
We  can  get  into  our  boat  or  be  taken  to 
Shengay  in  a  chair  or  hammock  when  too 
feeble  to  walk,  until  the  stone  chapel  is  erect- 
ed. Mr.  Caulker  says  that  if  the  house  is 
there  he  can  more  strongly  insist  upon  the 
people  attending  service.  And  you  know 
this  is  so.  And,  again,  it  will  give  the  town 
of  Shengay  another  aspect.  The  people  who 
visit  Shengay  will  see  it  no  longer  the  place 
for  devil-worship,  but  the  place  for  the  wor- 
ship of  God.  Already  the  word  of  this  good 
work  is  spreading  through  the  towns  and 
country,  and  the  change  is  observed  in  the 
people  here  by  prominent  persons  in  Free- 
town. Bro.  Gomer  has  scattered  much  relig- 
ious truth  broad-cast,  and  much  of  the  seed 
is  taking  root  in  good  ground,  that  is  in  hon- 
est seeking  hearts.  God  is  moving  the  hearts 
of  some  ill  the  mission -house;  and  I  think 
Thomas  Tucker,  our  head-man,  is  now  a  true 
Christian,     He   told   me   the  other  day  that 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  171 

when  all  the  missionaries  were  gone  and  he 
was  left  alone  in  the  mission-house  that  the 
people  here  asked  him,  '  What  you  stop  here 
for  ? '  and  he  told  them  that  this  was  the 
mission-house,  and  may  be  God  would  have 
some  work  for  him  to  do ;  and,  when  Mr. 
Gomer  came,  that  he  began  to  pray  again,  for 
his  heart  got  cold,  and  now  he  feels  to  trust 
in  God.  My  heart  has  been  filled  with  joy 
and  gladness  while  hearing  those  new  con- 
verts pray  and  speak,  some  in  the  Sherbro 
and  some  in  the  English  tongue.  May  we 
still  see  sinners  flocking  home  to  God. 

"I  hope  that  a  trip  to  Freetown  and  a 
change  of  diet  will  restore  Brother  and  Sister 
Gomer  to  wonted  health.  We  will  try  to 
take  charge  of  the  meetings  and  mission  af- 
fairs in  their  absence.  Thomas  Caulker  will 
teach  the  school  and  stop  with  us  in  the  mis- 
sion until  the  boat  returns  from  Freetown. 
We  will  all  be  glad  to  get  those  supplies.  I 
hope  we  will  be  able  to  do  much  good  here. 
Pray  for  us. 

"M.  B.  Hadley." 

I  also  furnish  a  letter  from  Mr.  Gomer,  ex- 
pressing the  gratitude  of  his  heart  and  the 


172  SHERDRO    MISSION. 

prospects  of  the  mission  on  the  arrival  of  the 
new  missionaries.      The  letter  explains  itself: 

"Shengat,  December  15,  1871. 

"  Rev.  D.  K.  Flickinger  :  My  Dear  Broth- 
er : — A  great  load  has  been  removed,  and  now 
my  heart  is  light.  On  December  9th,  ver}^ 
late  at  night,  a  small  boat  landed  at  Shengay, 
with  three  passengers,  namely,  Mrs.  M.  B. 
Hadley,  Rev.  J.  A.  Evans,  and  Miss  P.  Wil- 
liams. Mrs.  Hadley  engaged  Princess  in 
Freetown  for  company.  They  were  in  town 
several  days  before  they  got  passage  for  Shen- 
gay. I  received  no  letter  informing  me  when 
to  look  for  them.  Mr.  Elliott  and  the  church 
missionaries  I  believe  were  very  kind  to 
them,  and  saw  that  they  were  well  cared  for. 
On  the  10th  we  all  attended  meeting  at  the 
barra.  As  Bro.  Evans  wished  to  see  just  how 
I  conducted  the  services,  I  delivered  the 
morning  discourse — the  first  after  the  receipt 
ot  my  license.  The  young  chief,  Mr.  George 
Caulker  was  present  and  interpreted  foj-  me, 
as  Thomas  was  out  of  town.  At  the  close  of 
my  sermon  I  introduced  the  two  new  mis- 
sionaries. Each  made  a  fe\V  remarks,  the 
people  giving  the  very  best  attention.  Mrs. 
Hadley,  in  a  very  neat  little  speech,  presented 


SHEllBRO   MISSION.  173 

the  young  chief  with  a  nice  Bible  and  hymn- 
book — both  sent  to  Jiim  by  some  well-wiaher 
in  America.  Mr.  Caulker  was  taken  by  sur- 
prise. He  replied  to  Mrs.  Hadley  in  a  short 
speech,  the  substance  of  which  was  that  he 
desired  to  be  a  good  Christian ;  he  sympa- 
thized with  the  work ;  a  hypocrite  was  the 
most  detestable  of  all  persons  ;  he  cannot 
serve  God  and  mammon  ;  no  one  can  say  that 
he  does  not  pray,  for  he  does,  and  reads  the 
Bible,  and  has  read  it  a  great  deal ;  if  he  does 
not  get  to  heaven  it  will  be  his  own  fault ;  he 
is  very  thankful  to  the  Sabbath-school  which 
sent  these  nice  presents.  Mrs.  Hadley  had 
other  presents  for  Mr.  Caulker;  also,  one 
book  for  Mrs.  Caulker,  which  were  given  to 
them  privately.  At  Sabbath-school  we  had 
fifty  scholars.  I  did  not  go  to  the  night 
meeting.  Bro.  Evans  went;  Mrs.  Gomerand 
Mrs.  Hadley  also.  Bro.  Evans  preached  from 
Mark  i.  1.  The  congregation  was  small,  the 
night  being  dark  and  stormy.  The  next 
morning  Mr.  Caulker  had  all  the  people  call- 
ed to  the  barra.  He  told  them  that  the  law 
his  father  made  would  be  enforced  if  they  did 
not  attend  meethig ;  that  their  houses  would 
not  be  protected,  but  any  one  who  chose 
might  plunder  them. 


174  SHERBRO  MISSION. 

'^  Monday  morning,  ISth. — ^Yesterday  the 
meetings  and  Sunday-school  were  all  well 
attended.  There  were  sixty-five  scholars  at 
Sunday-school.  We  have  determined  to 
build  a  country  chapel  in  Shengay.  The 
people  desire  it  there,  and  we  thought  it  best 
to  please  them.  Mr.  Caulker  has  promised 
to  help  us ;  and  all  of  his  family  are  so  well 
pleased  with  the  prospect  of  their  people  be- 
coming civilized  and  Christianized  that  they 
are  willing  to  help.  They  are  delighted  with 
Mrs.  Hadley,  and  the  children  think  there  is 
no  one  like  her.  They  say,  'Dat  missus  good 
to  me.'  I  think  Satan's  temper  must  be 
somewhat  ruffled,  for  he  has  tried  in  many 
ways  to  weaken  our  hands  and  to  hinder  our 
work;  but  as  we  have  a  great  work  to  do,  we 
have  given  him  to  understand  that  the  Lord's 
work  can  not  cease.  We  have  no  time  for 
palavers.  We  have  prayed  the  prayer  of 
ITehemiah,  *]^ow  therefore,  O,  God,  strength- 
en our  hands.'  Our  plans  for  operation  are 
not  yet  perfected.  For  the  present  Bro. 
Evans  and  myself  are  to  preach  alternately. 
Sister  Hadley  will  assist  Thomas  Caulker  in 
the  school,  for  we  think  best  to  retain  him 
there.     Mrs.  Hadley  will  also  have  charge  ot 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  175 

the  sewing-class.  Bro.  Evans  has  charge  of 
the  books.  Mrs.  Gomer  will  look  after  the 
domestic  affairs,  while  I  shall  have  charge  of 
the  laborers.  We  all  expect  to  take  an  active 
part  in  doing  missionary  work. 

[^'  And  now  there  is  a  great  cry  among  the 
laborers  in  the  yard !  A  leopard  came  just  to 
the  edge  of  the  mission-yard,  and  captured  a 
chicken.  The  men  try  to  catch  him,  but  he 
makes  his  escape.] 

"  We  have  thought  best  not  to  organize  a 
church  class  just  at  present,  for  certain 
reasons ;  but  Bro.  Evans  will  baptize  several 
soon.  On  last  Wednesday  night,  at  prayer- 
meeting,  three  young  men  and  two  women 
arose  and  asked  for  the  prayers  of  the  Chris- 
tians. Since  then  one  of  the  men  told  me 
that  he  did  not  sleep  all  night,  and  felt  very 
bad  ;  but  he  prayed  to  God  to  have  mercy  on 
him.  Now  (Saturday)  he  begins  to  feel  'a 
little  good.'  He  believes  God  will  bless  him. 
The  Lord  is  with  us,  and  the  victory  is  ours. 
At  present  there  is  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen. 
God  is  daily  answering  the  prayers  of  his 
children.  Tell  our  people  to  pray  on.  It  is 
a  good  thing  to  give  thanks  unto  God.  We 
are   wishing   for  an   instrument  for  our  Sun- 


176  SHERBRO  MISSION* 

day-school.  If  any  of  the  friends  of  the 
mission  wish  to  present  us  with  one,  you  may 
accept  it. 

"  We  shall  begin  at  once  to  build  a  school- 
house  on  the  mission-grounds,  near  the  mis- 
sion ;  also  a  chapel  in  Shengay.  They  are 
indispensable.  We  shall  have  to  furnish 
lumber  for  doors,  windows,  and  seats ;  also,  a 
platform  for  Mrs.  Hadley,  as  it  will  not  do  for 
her  to  be  too  much  on  the  damp  ground.  She 
will  be  in  the  school  most  of  the  time.  We 
shall  have  to  have  carpenters  also,  as  we  wish 
to  hurry  the  work  through  while  the  dry  sea- 
son lasts. 

"Keeping  the  mission-grounds  in  a  proper 
condition  has  a  good  effect  on  some  of  the 
natives.  Some  of  them  say  :  "  ^ou  got  sense 
like  white  men."  I  tell  them  that  when  they 
worship  the  same  God  I  do,  and  learn  to 
study  God's  book  and  do  ail  he  tells  them, 
God  will  give  them  sense  like  me. 

"The  converts  are  still  doing  well,  and  more 
are  on  the  way.  Mrs.  Hadley  is  an  excellent 
worker.  She  will  do  much  good  here ;  but 
she  is  working  too  hard  ;  she  will  'make  her- 
self sick. 

"Mv  wife  and  I  will  stay  in  town  until  the 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  177 

goods  and  boat  come.  I  do  not  think  we 
ought  to  take  a  sea-vojage  until. after  the 
school-house  and  chapel  are  built-,  and  as 
soon  as  possible  I  wish  to  visit  a  few  towns 
and  test  the  enemy's  works.  I  have  prom- 
ised to  visit  them.  Mrs.  Hadley  wishes  to 
go  out  also,  and  tell  the  people  about  Jesus. 
Every  day  people  are  dying  who  never  heard 
of  the  Savior.     Time  is  precious. 

"I  think  your  missionaries  will  get  along 
nicely  together.  We  will  try  try  to  keep  the 
Lord  in  our  midst  to  make  the  pathway 
smooth. 

"Ever  yours  in  Christ, 

"Joseph  Gomer." 

12 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

D.  F.  Wilberforce. 

When  Mr.  Flickinger  was  in  Africa  as  a 
missionary  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  a 
very  devoted  native  by  the  name  of  Wilber- 
force. He  was  employed  at  Good  Hope  sta- 
tion, on  Sherbro  island,  while  Mr.  Flickinger 
was  preaching  for  the  American  Missionary 
Association  at  that  place.  Mr.  Wilberforce 
and  his  wife,  though  they  had  been  brought  up 
in  entire  ignorance  of  the  gospel,  were  very 
faithful  servants,  and  gave  earnest  heed  to  the 
things  which  they  heard  concerning  their 
souls.  About  this  time  a  son  was  bom  to 
them,  and  was  named  Daniel  Flickinger 
Wilberforce,  as  a  mark  of  respect  for  the 
minister  who  had  but  recently  came  to  preach 
Jesus  to  them.  As  this  souUs  history  is  of 
considerable  interest  to  all  the  friends  of  mis- 
sions, I  give  room  for  an  account  of  the  way 
he  came  to  be  here,  taken  from  an  editorial 
in  the  ReligioiLS  Telescope,  September  11, 1872: 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  179 

"When  the  child  had  grown  to  be  a 
sprightly  lad  of  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  he 
accompanied  a  sick  missionary  of  the  Mendi 
Mission  to  America  as  a  waiter,  and  after  his 
arrival  in  New  York  was  employed  in  the 
mission-rooms  of  the  association  for  some 
time  as  an  errand  boy,  in  which  capacity  he 
proved  not  only  very  orderly  and  trusty,  but 
extraordinarily  expert.  Last  fall  when  the 
missionary  secretary,  Mr.  Flickinger,  was  in 
'New  York  making  arrangements  for  our 
missionaries,  Mr.  Evans  and  Mrs.  Hadley,  to 
sail  for  Africa,  he  one  day  felt  impressed  with 
the  duty  of  saying  a  few  religious  words  to 
this  orderly  but  active  colored  boy,  whose 
good  offices  had  for  some  days  attracted  his 
attention,  but  whose  name,  parentage,  and 
native  land  were  to  the  secretary  entirely  un- 
known and  unsuspected.  He  introduced  his 
homily  by  asking  the  boy  his  name.  The 
reader  may  judge  of  Mr.  Flickinger's  sur- 
prise when  they  are  told  that  the  youth  quick- 
ly responded,  Daniel  Flickinger  Wilberforce. 
This  led  to  inquiries  and  answers  w^hich  de- 
veloped the  fact  that  this  was  the  same  child 
born  at  Good  Hope,  Africa,  when  Mr.  Flick- 
inger was  there  but  of  whose  birth  and  name 


180  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

Mr.  Flickinger  had  become  almost  oblivious. 
"The  youth  expressing  an  ardent  desire  to 
obtain  an  education,  and  having  already  made 
considerable  progress  in  the  elementary 
branches,  Mr.  Flickinger,  after  earnest  prayer 
and  thought,  and  counsel  with  the  officers  of 
the  American  Association,  proposed  to  the 
Executive  Committee  of  our  missionary 
Board  to  take  the  youth  in  care  on  trial  for 
the  purpose  of  educating  him  in  hope  of  his 
becoming  a  Christian  teacher,  and  perhaps  a 
preacher  in  his  native  country,  and  in  his 
mother  tongue,  for  he  well  understands  the 
Sherbro  language,  which  is  that  used  among 
the  people  where  our  African  mission  is  loca- 
ted. The  suggestion  was  adopted,  and  the 
youth  came  to  Dayton,  and  was  placed  in  a 
pious,  intelligent  family,  members  of  our  col- 
ored church  here,  and  sent  to  the  colored 
school,  where  his  good  deportment,  devotion 
to  study,  and  good  progress  elicited  the  high- 
est praise  from  Mr.  Solomon  Day,  the  accom- 
plished teacher  of  the  colored  public  school. 
He  is  orderly,  modest,  polite,  intelligent,  and 
cleanly,  and  has  a  high  place  in  the  affections 
and  esteem  of  the  family  in  which  he  lives, 
the  members  of  the  colored  church  where  he 


SIIERBRO    MISSION.  181 

is  a  regular  worshiper,  and  of  our  prominent 
brethren  in  this  part  of  the  city. 

''Last  winter,  at  a  revival  meeting  held  by 
liev.  J.  I^icholas,  pastor  of  the  Third  United 
Brethren  Church,  one  evening  when  the 
editor  was  present,  young  Wilberforce  was 
soundly  converted  to  God  at  the  altar  of 
prayer,  and  the  next  evening  we  had  the 
pleasure  of  receiving  him  into  the  Church. 
Since  that  time  his  life  and  devotions  have 
been  such  as  become  the  religion  of  the 
world's  Redeemer.  Few  American  youths 
excel  the  pattern  set  by  this  native  Afi^ican  ; 
and  we  have  just  reason  to  hope  that  he  will 
prove  very  useful  som-ewhere,  and  probably 
in  his  native  bind,  to  which  he  proposes  re- 
turning as  soon  as  he  has  attained  to  age  and 
culture  sufficient  to  labor  efficiently  there. 

"We  hope  the  whole  Church  will  pray  that 
he  may  be  kept  by  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation,  and  that  he  may  become  a  mighty 
instrumentality  for  the  elevation  and  salva- 
tion of  his  race.  Born  in  Africa,  w^ell  versed 
in  the  Sherbro  language,  and  possessing  good 
mental  endowments,  he  gives  just  occasion  to 
hope  that  God  intends  him  to  do  very  valua- 
ble   raissionary    work   for   the    Church    into 


182  SIIERBRO   MISSION, 

whose  care  and  communion  he  is  providen- 
tially thrown.  By  race  identified  with  his 
countrymen,  (being  a  full-blood  African,) 
having  spent  his  youth  among  them,  thus 
becoming  completely  identified  in  patriotic 
feelings  with  his  native  land,  and  being  accli- 
mated both  by  race  and  residence  to  the 
malaria  of  the  western  coast,  it  does  seem 
that  this  youth,  now  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  is  peculiarly  promising  as  a  candidate 
for  the  African  mission." 

I  am  happy  to  add  that  this  young  man 
is  now  (N"ovember,  1873,)  in  attendance  at 
Union  Biblical  Seminary,  and  bids  fair  to 
fulfill  the  highest  expectations  of  the  Board 
of  Missions,  and  of  the  Church. 


CHAPTER  XXYIII. 

Interesting    letters  —  War    palaver  —  Mr.    Gomer      as    a 
diplomat. 

By  way  of  illustrating  the  habits  and  wants 
of  the  people  in  Africa,  as  well  as  the  diffi- 
culties missionaries  have  to  encounter,  I  give 
the  following  very  interesting  fragments  of 
letters  written  by  Mr.  Gomer  : 

"Shengay,  July  15, 1872. 

''Rev.  W.  McKee, 

"Dear  Brother — Our  hearts  have 
been  made  very  sorrowful.  One  of  our 
young  converts  has  been  taken  from  us. 
About  two  months  ago  she  professed  religion. 
It  seems  that  when  quite  young  she  was  be- 
trothed to  Chief  Piomi,  who  is  now  between 
fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age,  while  she  is  only 
sixteen.  He  came  for  her  a  few  days  ago, 
and  went  away  yesterday,  taking  her  with 
him  to  his  home  on  the  Turtle  islands.  She 
was  unwilling  to  go,  but  was  obliged  to  sub- 
mit.    I  think  her   mother  insisted   on   her 


184  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

going,  for  she  is  a  very  bad  woman.  It  was 
she  who  had  our  sheep  killed.  The  girl  came 
out  to  the  mission  to  bid  us  good-bye,  and 
was  feeling  very  badly.  She  has  about  one 
quarter  white  blood,  and  is  a  good  girl. 

*'The  people  are  fast  learning  how  to  keep 
Sunday  here  and  in  the  villages.  In  one 
town  on  the  Nanibo  there  are  two  book-men 
who  tell  the  people  when  Sunday  comes.  In 
some  towns  they  make  marks  on  the  side  of 
the  house.  At  Mocaba  a  man  makes  marks 
on  a  piece  of  paper  thus  jj .  Early  on  the 
morning  of  the  seventh,  he  puts  this  paper  on 
a  long  strip  of  board,  hoists  it  up,  and  goes 
through  the  village,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his 
voice,  'Sunday  dun  come ;  no  pusson  kin 
work  to-day.'  I  think  it  was  in  a  village  up 
the  Walpalla  that  they  lost  their  reckoning, 
and  observed  Monday  instead  of  Sunday ! 

"A  man  came  to  the  mission  a  few  days 
ago  to  get  a  piece  of  cloth,  to  carry  on  a 
palaver.  'Ah  !  master,'  says  he,  'that  palaver 
do  me  bad.'  I  say,  Which  palaver?  'Daddy, 
nah  Picher  die  in  my  hand.  I  take  um ;  go 
one  town,  he  got  sick ;  die.  Kah,  mammy 
say  I  must  pay  two-ten,' — about  £10  in  goods 
or  slaves.     'I  gie  um  four  pieces  cloth,  two 


SIlERHKo    MISSION.  185 

gallons  of  ram,  and  one  ram  goat.  He  no 
satisfy.  Mr.  Caulker  he  no  talk  um ;  mam 
mammy  no  more  talk  um.  I  go  fetch  next 
day,  one  gallon  rum ;  make  um  feel  good ; 
he  go  throw  cold  water  on  um.'  The  man 
has  two  wives.  One  had  a  child  about  six 
years  old.  He  took  the  child  with  him  to 
another  town,  and  it  sickened  and  died.  The 
grandmother  made  palaver  with  him,  and 
said  he  should  pay  two-ten  for  the  child. 
Mr.  Caulker  would  not  listen  to  the  palaver. 
The  man  had  already  given  the  articles  men- 
tioned. To-morrow  he  would  get  one  gallon 
of  rum,  and  make  the  old  woman  drunk,  and 
she  would  throw  cold  water  on  the  palaver, 
and  kill  it. 

"There  were  two  conversions  while  I  was 
in  Freetown.     And  so  the  work  goes  on. 

^'July  25,  1872.  We  have  been  having  a 
strong  scent  of  war  since  I  wrote  last.  On 
the  6th  of  this  month  George  Caulker, 
our  chiet,  left  here  for  Bendo  Toombah,  to 
meet  his  chiefs,  to  settle  a  war  palaver.  A 
messenger  met  him  there,  from  Bannah  Ban- 
dah,  chief  of  the  Cockburrow  tribe.  The  mes- 
senger had  a  cutlass,  wrapped  w^ith  a  piece 
of  white  baft  (bleached  muslin),  and  a  lock 


186  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

of  a  man's  hair,  and  bore  tMs  message: 
'Bannah  says  Mr.  Caulker  must  pay  two  hun- 
dred slaves,  or  two  hundred  tuns  of  money 
(any  kind  of  goods  is  money);  if  not,  he 
must  send  the  white  baft  back,  with  blood  on 
it.'  Mr.  Caulker  refused  to  do  either  until 
they  talked  the  palaver,  and  the  people  re- 
fused to  talk  it.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Eoney,  on  the  Tucker  River,  had  a  palaver. 
One  Farmer  Kendy,  took  Boney's  part. 
One  Carry  Baw,  interfered,  and  told  his  men 
to  tie  Kendy.  They  chased  Kendy  into  the 
river  and  he  was  drowned.  This  is  one  story. 
There  are  many  others.  Boney's  friends 
want  to  kill  Carry  Baw.  He  comes  to  Mr. 
Caulker  for  protection.  The  people  demand 
him,  but  Mr.  Caulker  will  not  give  him  up 
without  a  trial.  He  gives  Mr.  Caulker  the 
slip,  and  goes  to  the  Kossoh  countr3\  Mr. 
Caulker  has  now  come  to  MoCaba,  When 
the  people  learn  that  Carry  Baw  has  run  off, 
they  blame  Mr,  Caulker  for  it.  They  make 
Mr.  Caulker  a  prisoner,  and  say  they  will 
not  let  him  go  until  he  brings  Carry  Baw. 
They  began,  now,  to  plunder  the  villages,  to 
carry  off  the  people's  property,  and  to  destroy 
things  generally.     They  even  tore  the  roof 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  187 

off  the  house  where  Mr.  Caulker  was  staying, 
aud  let  it  rain  on  him.  They  send  his  serv- 
ants away,  and  destroy  the  new  rice  which 
the  people  have  planted,  which  is  only  a  few 
inches  high.  Neither  money  nor  slaves  will 
satisfy  them  now.  They  must  have  Carry, 
^lany  reports  are  daily  brought  to  us  from 
the  seat  of  war,  from  Bannah  Bandah.  We 
do  not  know  what  to  believe. 

"A  canoe  that  landed  here  from  one  of  the 
rivers  reports  that  the  mangroves  are  full  of 
people,  hiding  from  the  war.  In  all  of  this, 
Mr.  Caulker  would  not  let  his  people  fight, 
telling  them  that  they  must  not  shed  blood. 

"On  the  12th  of  July,  Shengay  was  all 
alive  with  excitement.  Reports  came  that  the 
Tuerra  Leone  traders  were  sending  their  goods 
to  British  Sherbro.  On  the  14th,  Sabbath,  at 
meeting,  we  set  apart  Monday,  the  15th,  for 
fasting  and  prayer,  after  first  speaking  to  the 
people  from  Joel  ii.  12,  13.  Monday  the 
pews  was  very  dark.  There  was  a  report 
that  the  enemy  was  coming  to  plunder  Ben- 
t^oo  Toombah,  near  Shengay.  The  people  of 
Shengay  were  sending  their  valuables,  in 
boxes,  to  the  mission,  to  be  locked  up  in  the 
basement  of  the  mission-house.     One   good 


188  SHEKBUO    MISSION. 

sister  sent  her  child,  five  years  old,  to  us  for 
safe  keeping.  People  were  constantly  asking 
me  what  I  was  going  to  do,  and  where  I 
was  going.  The  carpenter  was  annoying  me 
all  day  about  some  provision  forgetting  away 
from  Shengay.  He  tried  to  hire  our  fisher- 
man to  go  to  Kent  in  his  paddle-canoe,  to 
hire  a  boat  to  come  and  take  him  away  ;  and 
when  the  fisherman  would  not  go,  to  throw 
away  his  life  in  the  sea,  the  poor  man  cried 
like  a  child,  and  said  that  the  savages  would 
murder  us  all  together,  both  English  and 
Americans,  and  that  he  would  never  see  his 
wife  and  children  again.  A  canoe,  with 
several  persons  in  it,  passing  here  to-day, 
flying  from  the  war,  was  upset,  but  no  one 
was  lost.  None  of  the  missionaries  have  felt 
like  leaving. 

•'On  the  16th,  at  9  a.  m.,  I  left  my  wife 
and  Sister  Hadley  at  the  mission,  believing 
that  God  w^ould  take  care  of  them,  and  start- 
ed in  our  little  boat  for  Genda  Mah,  on  the 
Cockburrow  River,  to  Bannah  Bandah,  to 
see  the  war  chief,  and  have  a  talk  with  him 
myselt,  I  had  seen  this  old  man  before,  and 
talked  with  him  about  religion.  I  did  not 
believe   all  the   reports   they  brought  about 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  189 

him.  At  4:00  P.  M.  we  reached  Genda  Mah ; 
but  the  chief  was  at  Matty  Con,  twenty-five 
or  thirty  miles  farther  up  the  river.  We  put 
up  for  the  night  at  Mo  Oaba.  (I  have  spoken 
of  this  town  and  the  head-man  before.  His 
wife  is  the  old  chief's  sister.)  At  night  we 
had  a  meeting,  and  I  think  the  whole  town 
was  present.  I  spoke,  and  Tom,  my  boat- 
captain,  followed.  The  people  remained  af- 
ter we  dismissed  them,  and  said  they  were 
very  glad  we  were  come.  They  said  they 
would  like  to  have  us  preach  there  all  the 
time.  Tliey  say  they  have  kept  Sunday  ever 
since  we  were  there  last  April.  I  asked  if 
there  was  a  'book-man'  there.  They  said 
*No ;  but  one  man  got  good  head.  He  make 
mark  on  the  side  of  his  house,  and  tell  um 
when  Sunday  come.'  They  showed  me  the 
man.  He  was  a  fine-looking  man,  with  a 
large  country  cloth  thrown  over  his  shoulder 
and  wrapped  about  his  body.  At  6:00  next 
morning  we  were  on  our  way  up  the  river. 
At  10:00  we  were  at  Matty  Con.  The  old 
chief  was  in  bed,  hearing  a  canoe  palaver. 
He  has  been  for  many  years  a  leper,  and  the 
disease  is  now  assuming  a  very  bad  form. 
His  right  leg,  from  his  knee  down,  is  covered 


190  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

with  raw  sores.  He  is  to  all  appearance  a 
man  of  good  sense,  for  a  native.  His  dress 
consists  of  several  yards  of  India-blue  baft, 
sewed  together,  thrown  over  the  left  shoulder 
and  wrapped  about  his  body.  A  black  net 
cap,  very  much  worn  here,  is  on  his  head. 
He  also  has  a  pair  of  coarse  shoes,  which  I 
have  never  seen  him  wear  ;  but  a  boy  usually 
carries  them  before  him.  He  has  a  long  cane 
with  which  he  walks.  His  wives  have  all 
left  him  since  he  has  got  this  disease.  Lep- 
rosy is  a  very  common  disease  here.  It  as- 
sumes many  different  forms.  The  old  chief 
was  very  glad  to  see  me,  and  denied  knowing 
anything  about  the  way  the  people  were  do- 
ing. He  started  a  messenger  immediately  to 
the  war  party,  and  to  Mr.  Caulker,  telling 
them  that  his  people  were  acting  contrary  to 
his  orders,  and  that  they  must  return  to  him. 
The  old  man  was  very  busy  all  day;  so  I 
could  not  get  to  talk  with  him  much.  At 
night  we  held  a  meeting.  The  attendance 
was  good.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that  the 
people  were  very  well  pleased  with  my  dis- 
course, for,  while  I  was  speaking,  some  of 
them  went  away.  Others  paid  good  atten- 
tion.     After  we  dismissed  the  meeting,    a 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  191 

woman  asked  Tom  if  she  must  not  'keep 
stone  for  take  care  of  her;'  and  if  she  must 
not  ^cook  for  them  (the  idols),  and  give  them 
palm  oil  for  eat.'  Tom  told  her,  l^o ;  that 
it  was  all  wrong.  Bannah  Bandah  himself 
wears  no  charms  nor  medicines  of  any  kind  ; 
says  they  are  foolish  things,  and  can  do  no 
good.  The  old  man  is  well  liked  by  all  who 
know  him.  I  believe  that  he  would  become  a 
Christian  if  he  had  some  one  to  teach  him. 
He  wished  to  know  if  we  could  not  build  a 
meeting-house  at  Genda  Mah,  and  hold  meet- 
ings there. 

"J^ext  morning  (July  18th)  Bannah  Ban- 
dah asked  me  to  write  for  him  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Caulker.  I  send  you  a  copy,  verbatum. 
I  forgot  to  state  that  when  I  arrived,  after 
telling  him  what  I  came  for,  he  said  :  'God 
bless  you, — you  a  good  man.  My  heart 
warm  for  you.  Dat  bad  lie  dem  pusson  can 
tell  on  me.'  Turning  to  the  people  he  said : 
'You  see  pusson  what  got  head.  He  can't 
hold  um  (believe  um).  Pusson  what  got  no 
head, — ah!  he  can  hold  um.  I  sick  and 
can't  go  no  place ;  pusson  can  take  my  name 
and  go  spoil  um  all  over  the  country.'  And 
much  more  of  the  same  sort. 


192  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

"At  9:00  A.  M.,  the  19th,  1  started  for  the 
mission  again.  The  chief  sent  another  mes- 
senger with  me,  with  word  to  Mr.  Caulker 
and  the  war  people, — and  Mr.  Caulker  has 
several  under  chiefs,  Bannah  Bandah  being 
one  of  them.  I  reached  home  the  same 
night,  and  found  all  well. 

"The  next  day  the  people  in  Shengay 
thanked  me  very  much  for  'that  walker  that 
I  do  Avalk.'  The  people  had  changed  their 
conduct  toward  Mr.  Caulker.  He  was  again 
at  liberty  to  go  where  he  pleased.  One  man 
that  came  from  Mr.  Caulker  said  that  when 
the  people  heard  that  the  'white  man'  had 
gone  to  Bannah  Bandah,  'they  all  got  cow- 
ard,' and  many  of  them  ran  away  home.  All 
they  want  is  to  plunder,  rob,  and  steal.  I 
can  not  say  what  the  end  will  be.  They 
claim  now  that  they  have  another  message 
from  Bannah  Bandah,  and  that  he  says  Mr. 
Caulker  must  buy  the  palaver. 

"Mr.  Caulker  reached  home  on  the  26th 
of  July,  and  on  the  30th  started  for  Matty 
Con,  to  see  the  old  chief." 

Here  is  the  letter  referred  to  above : 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  193 

Matty  Con,  July  18,  1872. 

Mr.  George  Caulker,  Chief  of  the  Sherbro  Coun- 
try, western  coast  of  Africa : 

God  bless  you.  When  I  see  Mr.  Gomer 
here,  good  how  de  do.  Hush  for  the  trouble 
what  meet  you  there.  I  take  you  like  my 
own  heart.  All  what  has  happened  there,  I 
know  nothing  about  it.  Persons  came  to 
me  from  Boney  four  times,  to  show  me  this 
palaver.  I  took  a  cutlass  and  a  piece  of 
white  baft,  and  a  lock  of  the  man's  hair,  and 
sent  them  to  you,  telling  them  that  you  must 
judge  this  palaver.  They  not  do  after  the 
fashion  I  tell  them.  They  should  have  judg- 
ed the  palaver  after  the  coantry  fashion. 
Why  you  no  take  some  pusson  and  send  to 
me  for  the  truth  of  the  matter  ?  I  sit  down 
here ;  I  hear  that  Carry  Baw  kill  some  pus- 
son  ;  that  he  run  away  ;  he  pass  here  ;  I  not 
know  it.  He  has  now  got  to  the  Kossoh 
people,  I  hear,  to  bring  war  on  me  for  trying 
to  kill  him.  When  I  hear  that  news  about 
the  way  them  people  do  to  you,  I  can't  hold 
it.  So  when  I  see  Mr.  Gomer  I  must  hold 
it.  So  I  write  you  these  few  lines.  You 
must  call  all  those  head-men  on  that  side 
13 


194  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

and  tell  them  what  this  letter  says.      With 
much  respect,  I  am,  very  truly,  yours. 

Bannah  Bandah. 

These  extracts  show  that  our  missionaries 
are  exerting  an  excellent  influence  among 
the  difi'erent  rude  tribes.  Mr.  Gomer  makes 
a  first-class  diplomatist.  His  sincerity,  tact, 
politeness,  and  good,  common  sense, — a  qual- 
ity often  wanting  in  professional  diplomats, 
— combine  to  render  him  influential  in  set- 
tling disputes,  and  preventing  the  recurrence 
of  a  clash  of  arms. 

In  due  time  the  war  clouds  referred  to 
passed  away,  and  our  missionaries  found 
themselves  surrounded  by  new  and  influen- 
tial friends  to  help  on  the  work. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Building  a  new  chapel — Rev.  Peter  Warner  and  wife  go  to 
Africa. 

THE  mission  had  so  far  succeeded  in  in- 
fluence, and  in  attracting  the  people  to 
it,  that  more  and  better  facilities  for  labor 
were  needed.  Mr.  Gomer  informed  us  that 
a  new  chapel  was  one  of  the  necessities  that 
thej  could  not  aftbrd  longer  to  do  without. 
Accordingly  the  Executive  Committee  took 
the  question  under  consideration,  and  after 
mature  deliberation  determined  to  order  the 
new  building  immediately.  Their  conviction 
and  purpose  are  expressed  in  a  paper  which 
they  published  in  the  Religious  Telescope, 
November  15, 1871 : 

NEW  CHAPEL  FOR  AFRICA. 

One  want  begets  another.  The  farmer  who 
adds  a  hundred  acres  to  his  plantation  soon 
learns  that  he  must  enlarge  his  barn.  The 
missionary  society  have  been  long  endeavor- 


196  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

ing  to  obtain  a  suitable  and  sufficient  corps 
of  missionaries  for  Shengay  Station,  West 
Africa.  Hitherto,  however,  they  have  found 
it  difficult  to  engage  more  than  one  or  two  at 
a  time.  Happily  they  now  have  four  excel- 
lent laborers  for  that  important  field.  And 
they  were  never  more  needed;  nor  were  the 
prospects  of  success  ever  so  flattering  as  at 
the  present  time.  The  gospel,  in  its  heaven 
appointed  power  to  save  the  souls  of  men,  is 
taking  fast  hold  of  the  people's  hearts. 
Some  have  been  already  converted ;  others 
are  penitently  asking  what  they  must  do  to 
be  saved ;  and  scores  more  are  crowding  to 
hear  the  word  preached,  asking  in  all  sinceri- 
ty: "  May  we  know  what  this  new  doctrine 
whereof  thou  speakest,  is?"  What  a  gra- 
cious assurance  the  Lord  is  thus  giving  us 
that  we  have  neither  run  nor  labored  in  vain ! 
Doubt  and  fear  must  now  give  way  to  securi- 
ty and  hope.  A  bright,  a  glorious  day  has 
dawned  upon  our  work  in  Africa. 

But  with  more  laborers  and  fairer  pros- 
pects, more  extensive  preparations  for  labor 
must  be  made.  It  can  not  be'  avoided.  We 
should  not  desire  to  avoid  it.  We  ought 
rather  to  rejoice  that  such  extended  prepara- 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  197 

tioiis  are  called  for.  David  felt  that  it  was 
the  greatest  honor  that  was  bestowed  upon 
him,  to  merely  make  preparations  to  build  a 
house  for  God's  worship.  And  Solomon, 
with  a  similar  conviction,  when  he  had  com- 
pleted the  house  his  father  had  it  in  his  heart 
to  build,  exclaimed  :  "  Behold,  the  heaven 
and  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain  Thee; 
how  much  less  this  house  that  I  have  builded  !" 

We  need  a  new  chapel  for  our  mission- 
station  in  Atrica.  We  must  have  it  The 
old  chapel  (made  of  pine  wood,  shipped  from 
'New  York  shortly  after  the  mission  was  pro- 
jected) was  several  years  ago  literally  eaten 
up  by  the  "  bug-a-bug,"  an  insect  that  is 
like  a  consuming  fire  to  wooden  buildings. 
Since  it  went  into  decay  the  mission-house, 
or  residence,  has  been  used  for  dwelling, 
school-house,  and  church.  But  it  is  now  all 
occupied  as  a  house  of  residence.  Besides, 
there  is  no  room  sufficiently  large,  or  proper- 
ly arranged  to  accommodate  the  increasing 
numbers  that  are  constantly  seeking  access 
to  our  school  and  church.  Hence  a  new 
chapel  seems  to  be  a  pressing  necessity. 

On  considering  the  subject  carefully,  we 
concluded  to  order  Mr.  (romer  to  proceed  at 


198  SHBRBRO  MISSION. 

once  to  build  said  diapel.  There  is  plenty  of 
good  building-stone  on  the  mission-grounds, 
and  other  materials  can  be  gathered  up,  and 
a  good  and  sufficient  chapel  built  to  serve  for 
day-school,  Sabbath-school,  and  church  pur- 
poses, for  about  three  thousand  dollars. 

But  where  is  the  money  to  come  from? 
That  question  is  certainly  in  order.  We  have 
no  more  money  at  our  command  than  is  ne- 
cessary to  support  the  missionaries  now  in 
the  field.  But  as  the  Israelites  were  com- 
manded to  go  forward  long  before  they  could 
see  into  Canaan,  the  committee  felt  that  the 
Lord  who  owns  the  gold  and  silver,  and  the 
cattle  on  a  thousand  hills,  is  saying :  "  Build 
me  a  temple  in  Africa,  and  I  will  fill  it  with 
more  glory  than  the  former  house,"  They 
dare  not  wait  till  they  have  all  the  money  in 
hand.  They  believe  that  He  who  orders  it 
built  by  the  indications  of  His  providence, 
will  give  them  the  money  to  pay  for  it.  On 
this  faith  they  have  acted.  They  now  call  on 
the  Church  for  a  special  donation  for  this 
chapel.  We  know  that  this  mission  has  a 
strong  hold  on  their  aftections.  Special  do- 
nations heretofore  prove  it.  We  now  ask 
our  brethren   everywhere  to   send   in    their 


SHERBRO    MISSION.  199 

money  in  denominations  of  one  dollar,  ■Q.vq 
dollars,  ten  dollars,  twenty  dollars,  fifty  dol- 
lars, as  they  may  feel  able  and  willing  to  give. 
Many  of  the  ministers  will  feel  it  a  special 
privilege  thus  to  contribute  toward  the  evan- 
gelization of  Africa.  And  our  laymen,  we 
trust,  will  cheerfully  and  speedily  respond. 

We  would  also  request  that  our  Sabbath- 
schools  make  a  special  collection  for  this 
chapel.  Let  the  superintendents  set  apart 
a  given  Sabbath,  explaining  what  the  money 
is  wanted  for,  and  we  have  no  doubt  a  liberal 
contribution  will  be  the  result. 

J.  J.  Glossbrenner. 

T.  K  Sowers. 

D.  K.  Flickinger. 

John  Kemp. 

William  McKee. 

Executive  Coynmittee, 

Dayton,  0.,  November  15,  1871. 

They  did  not  call  in  vain.  The  churches, 
the  Sabbath-schools,  ministers  and  members 
of  the  Church,  and  of  other  churches,  and 
even  strangers,  began  to  send  in  their  money, 
in  small  sums  it  is  true,  for  the  most  part, 
yet  aggregating  in  about  two  years  the  whole 
amount  needed. 


200  SHERBRO  MISSION. 

Mr.  Gomer  and  Mr.  Evans  began  to  collect 
materials,  and  go  forward  with  the  erection 
of  the  house.  But  they  already  had  more 
work  than  they  could  perform  satisfactorily. 
Accordingly  the  Board  appointed  the  Rev. 
Peter  Warner,  a  local  minister  in  the  San- 
dusky Conference,  and  his  wife,  to  go  to  the 
assistance  of  our  brethren  in  Africa.  Mr. 
"Warner  was  a  carpenter  as  well  as  a  minister, 
and  after  receiving  ordination  by  Bishop 
Glossbrenner,  at  Orangeville,  Ohio,  he  and 
his  wife  sailed  from  New  York  for  Africa, 
on  the  19th  day  of  October,  1872,  and  soon 
arrived  at  Shengay. 

Mr.  Warner  took  charge  of  the  financial 
interests  of  the  mission,  leaving  the  other 
missionaries  free  to  teach  and  preach  without 
interruption.  Nor  did  he  confine  himself 
exclusively  to  the  work  of  building  the 
chapel.  He  frequently  preached,  and  taught, 
continuing  from  week  to  week  to  do  the 
work  of  an  evangelist.  The  health  of  Mrs. 
Warner,  however,  declined  rapidly;  and  in 
April,  1873,  the  rainy  season  approaching, 
and  being  unable  to  proceed  with  the  build- 
ing, Mr.  ^  arner  found  it  necessary  to  bring 
his  wife  to  America,  where  he  remained  dur- 


SIIERJ3R0  MISSION-  201 

ing  the  summer,  recruiting  his  health,  and 
waiting  for  the  dry  season,  so  that  he  might 
return  and  proceed  with  the  chapel.  In  Au- 
gust, 1873,  leaving  his  wife  in  the  care  of  her 
friends,  he  again  sailed  for  Africa. 

The  chapel  which  engaged  his  special  at- 
tention, is  a  stone  edifice,  thirty-six  by  forty- 
six  feet  square,  very  substantially  built,  and 
marks  an  era  in  the  history  of  Sherbro  Mis- 
sion. ISTearly  every  man,  woman,  and  child, 
connected  with  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
is  a  stockholder  in  it,  as  it  is  probable  that 
very  few  of  them  have  failed  to  contribute 
toward  the  fund  for  its  erection. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Sherbro  country  and  people — Kings'  quarrels — Number  of 
converts. 

WHILE  the  process  of  building  the 
chapel  was  going  on,  the  mission- 
aries were  carrying  the  work  into  neighbor- 
ing towns  and  provinces. 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Gomer  so 
fully  explains  itself,  and  is  withal  so  interest- 
ing to  the  Church  at  large,  that  I  give  it  en- 
tire : 

"Shengay,  West  Africa,  January  9th,  1873. 

"  Rev.  D.  K.  Flickinger,  Dayton,  O. 

^^Dear  Brother — As  you  request 
me  to  write  you  fully  and  freely  about  the 
work  here,  I  shall  now  attempt  to  show  you 
our  situation  at  the  close  of  1872.  I  shall  be 
as  explicit  as  I  can,  showing  both  the  encour- 
aging and  the  discouraging  features  of  the 
work.  In  my  last  letter  to  you,  in  reference 
to  the  work  here,  I  closed  with  my  return 
from  the  Turtle  Islands.     Bros.  Evans  and 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  203 

AYanier,  as  well  as  myself,  (in  fact,  it  was 
their  proposition,)  thought  best  that  we  give 
you  a  fall  statement  of  the  country  in  which 
we  are  operating,  geographically,  politically, 
and  religiously.  Although  I  have  been  here 
two  years,  my  knowledge  of  the  countrj^  is 
somewhat  limited. 

"]!s'ative  Sherbro  embraces  a  large  tract  of 
country.  South  of  Mr.  Caulker's  territory 
lies  the  Bargroo  country,  which  is  much 
larger  than  Mr.  Caulker's.  East  of  us  is  the 
Kosoo  country.  The  tribes  of  both  countries 
are  very  fond  of  war.  The  Bargroo  country 
is  governed  by  a  number  of  chiefs,  each  one 
being  independent,  and  making  war  on  his 
neighbors  whenever  he  chooses,  which  is  very 
often.  The  Kosoos  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness to  become  allies  to  any  tribe  or  party 
that  may  require  their  assistance.  With  a 
few  pounds  of  tobacco  or  a  few  bottles  of 
rum,  or  two  or  three  pieces  of  cloth,  two  or 
three  hundred  war  men  can  be  obtained  in  a 
very  short  time.  [N'orth  of  us  is  the  Bomphe 
country. ,  This  is  a  large  tract  of  country  al- 
so. This  was  formerly  governed  by  Carri- 
baw  Caulker,  who  died  about  1859  or  1860. 
They  had  different  rulers  until  1864.     The 


204  SlIERBRO    MISSION. 

people  then  came  to  Sbengay  to  Thomas 
Stephen  Caulker,  brother  of  Carribaw  Caul- 
ker, and  father  of  our  present  chief,  George 
Caulker.  They  wished  him  to  appoint  them 
a  chief.  Thomas  Stephen  sent  to  Freetown 
to  Governor  Kennedy  for  Richard,  son  of  the 
late  Carribaw.  Richard  was  being  educated 
by  the  English  government.  He  was  a  young 
man  of  about  twenty-six  or  twenty-eight 
years  of  age,  and  had  acquired  a  good  educa- 
tion, and  he  became  chief  of  the  Bomphe 
country.  During  the  next  two  years  there 
were  many  complaints  brought  to  Shengay 
against  Richard.  It  was  claimed  that  he 
treated  the  people  badly.  Mr.  Caulker  sent 
for  him  and  he  came  to  Shengay.  The  palav- 
er was  talked  over,  and  it  was  determined 
not  to  send  him  back  again.  In  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Bomphe  country  live  a  great 
many  of  the  Mendi  people.  These  are  most- 
ly Mohammedans.  Richard  has  a  brother 
who  is  a  Mohammedan  priest.  A  number  of 
these  Mohammedans  slipped  into  Shengay, 
stole  Richard  away,  and  took  him  home 
asrain.  Soon  there  was  a  rumor  that  he  was 
collecting  his  people  to  bring  war  on  Mr. 
Caulker,  his  uncle.     At  this   the  people  be- 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  205 

came  much  frightened,  and  it  is  said  that 
several  hundred  moved  away  to  British 
Sherbro.  This  was  in  1866.  Since  then 
there  has  been  many  rumors  of  Richard's 
bringing  war  against  Mr.  Caulker,  and  the 
country  has  ever  since  been  in  an  unsettled 
condition.  Richard  and  George  had  not  met 
nor  spoken  together  since,  until  December  23, 
1872.  Bannah  Bandali  was  a  sub-chief  for 
both  the  Caulkers,  and  both  of  them  before 
their  death  asked  him  to  look  over  their 
children.  This  he  pretends  to  be  trying  to 
do.  After  Carry  Baw  escaped  from  George 
Caulker  last  July,  he  went  to  the  Kosoo 
country,  and  got  between  two  and  three  hun- 
dred Avarriors.  -  On  their  march  here  they 
passed  through  a  part  of  Richard's  country, 
and  committed  some  depredations.  Richard 
arrested  them,  and  when  they  reached  here 
Carry  Baw  was  arrested  by  Bannah  Bandah. 
Bannah  Bandah  was  very  feeble  at  the  time, 
and  sent  for  Mr.  George  Caulker,  also  to 
Richard  and  one  of  the  most  prominent 
Bargroo  chiefs,  to  meet  him  at  Genda  Mah 
to  talk  the  palaver.  As  much  mischief  had 
been  done,  the  troubles  of  last  July  and 
August   were   also   to   be   settled.      Bannah 


206  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

Bandah  expects  soon  to  die.  He  says  he 
wants  to  see  the  country  settled  and  the 
chiefs  all  on  friendly  terms,  and  then  he  can 
die  in  peace.  The  chiefs  all  met  in  October 
except  Richard,  and  as  he  did  not  come,  the 
Bargroo  chief  went  home.  George  waited. 
On  the  1st  of  December  Richard,  with  be- 
tween two  and  three  hundred  war  men,  and  a 
great  train  of  Murrymen  and  Mohammedan 
priests  as  his  counsellors,  arrived  at  Molack- 
et,  a  small  town  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  from  Genda  Mah.  Molacket  is  in 
Richard's  territory.  Richard  refused  to  cross 
the  river  to  George  at  Genda  Mah,  and 
George  refused  to  go  over  to  Richard.  Rich- 
ard was  afraid  that  George  was  playing  some 
trick  on  him,  and  George  stood  on  his  digni- 
ty. So  I  think.  The  situation  soon  became 
known  throughout  the  country,  and  all  the 
chief  men  soon  assembled  at  Genda  Mah  to 
try  to  effect  a  reconciliation  between  the 
parties,  for  all  feared  the  consequences. 

"On  December  18th,  a  Mr.  S.  1^,  Lafeever, 
a  British  trader  residing  at  Bomphe,  landed 
at  the  mission  on  his  way  to  the  secret  council. 
I  asked  and  obtained  passage  in  his  boat.  The 
next  morning  we  were  at  Genda  Mah.     We 


SHERBRO  MISSION.  207 

called  on  Mr.  Caulker  and  Bannah  Bandah. 
They  were  very  glad  we  had  come,  and  hoped 
that  we  might  help  them  out  of  their  trouble. 
I  knew  Geooge  to  be  very  much  set  in  his 
way.  "What  he  says  he  means,  and  seldom 
changes.  I  took  the  affair  to  God^  and  asked 
counsel  of  him,  for  I  knew  that  be  alone 
could  change  George's  mind.  At  9  o'clock 
the  same  morning  we  went  over  to  Molacket. 
After  waiting  two  hours  we  were  taken  from 
the  barra  to  the  house  where  Bichard  was. 
The  house  was  surrounded  with  war  men 
armed  with  guns  and  cutlasses.  A  strong 
guard  was  at  the  door.  I  had  never  seen 
this  young  chief  before.  Mr.  Lafeever  had 
known  him  from  a  boy.  He  is  a  fine,  intelli- 
gent-looking man.  He  has  read  a  great  deal 
of  history,  and  is  very  familiar  with  the 
Bible.  He  quotes  passages  freely  and  very 
correctly.  I  was  glad  of  this,  for  I  hoped  to 
make  it  count  for  good.  We  spent  between 
two  and  three  hours  with  him,  Mr.  Lafeever 
doing  most  of  the  talking.  He  finally  agreed 
to  send  his  two  brothers  over  with  us,  and  if 
they  were  well  received  he  would  go  next 
day.  They  went  with  us,  Carribaw  and 
Stephen.     They  were  well  received,  and  sent 


!208  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

back  in  the  evening.  That  night  they  beat 
drums,  danced,  and  drank  rum  all  night  at 
Molacket.  Kext  morning,  December  20th, 
we  took  the  boat  and  went  over  for  Richard. 
He  called  his  chief  men  together  to  counsel 
with  them.  I  saw  that  they  were  all  Moham- 
medans. I  saw  the  game  was  up.  It  was 
useless  to  attempt  to  do  anything  with  them. 
They  refused  to  let  him  go ;  said  they  were 
his  guardians,  and  that  Bannah  Bandah  and 
Mr.  Caulker  must  come  to  him.  We  return- 
ed to  Genda  Mah.  George  still  refused  to  go 
to  him. 

"We  proposed  to  start  home  that  night, 
but  Bannah  Bandah  sent  to  beg  us  to  stay 
one  more  day,  and  make  another  trial.  So 
on  Saturday,  the  21st,  we  went  over  to  Rich- 
ard again.  He  could  do  nothing  without 
his  elders'  consent.  He  was  completely  under 
their  control.  The  conversation  turned  to 
missions ;  he  wanted  a  school  in  his  territory. 
I  told  him  we  could  use  our  money  to  better 
advantage  than  to  establish  schools  where 
there  was  so  strong  a  Mohammedan  influence 
as  I  judged  there  must  be  in  liis  country, 
he  himself  being  counseled  by  them.  He 
then  denied  being  influenced  by  them. 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  209 

"It  being  now  about  12  o'clock  Saturday, 
we  could  not  reach  home  without  traveling 
on  the  Sabbath.  Mr.  Lafeever  proposed  that 
we  remain  over  and  hold  a  meeting  there  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  also  one  at  Genda  Mah. 
After  what  had  been  said  Richard  could  not 
deny  us  this.  It  was  agreed  that  we  should 
hold  a  meeting  at  Molacket  at  10  o'clock  on 
Sunday,  and  in  the  evening  at  Gendah  Mah. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  22d,  with  several 
other  traders  who  had  collected  there,  we 
went  to  Molacket.  I  went  to  the  house  for 
Richard,  escorted  him  to  the  barra,  gave  him 
a  seat  next  myself,  and  when  I  began  to 
speak  asked  him  to  interpret,  which  he  did 
nicely.  I  read  fifty  seven  verses  of  the 
twenty-eighth  chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  then 
talked  from  II.  Corinthians  v.  20;  after  which 
Mr.  Lafeever  spoke  to  the  people  in  Sherbro. 
The  attendance  was  very  great,  the  barra  and 
all  about  it  being  packed  with  people.  I 
noticed  one  Murryman  present  at  the  meet- 
ing. During  the  meeting  several  others  pass- 
ed the  barra  and  told  Mr.  Caulker  good-by. 
And  that  day  all  the  Mohamedans  left  Mo- 
lacket. They  told  Mr.  Caulker  that  they  did 
not  come  there  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  and  if 
H 


210  SHERBRO  MISSION. 

he  insisted  upon  keeping  it  they  would  not 
stay.  At  night  we  had  a  good  meeting  at 
Genda  Mah.  That  night  there  was  one  Mo- 
hammedan priest  present.  He  wants  an 
Arabic  Bible  that  has  in  it  about  Abraham, 
Jacob,  Joseph,  Moses,  and  Jesus  Christ.  We 
were  intending  to  start  home  between  12:00 
and  1:00  a.  m.;  but  about  9:00  p.  m.  a  mes- 
senger came  from  Richard  saying  that  all  of 
his  chief  men  had  left  him,  and  he  must 
leave  in  the  morning. 

"Bannah  Bandah  and  Mr.  Caulker  sent  us 
word  that  if  we  would  remain  until  morning 
they  would  both  go  over  with  us.  We  re- 
mained, and  in  the  morning — December  23d 
— Mr.  Caulker,  with  six  of  his  chief  men, 
and  Bannah  Bandah,  with  his  staff,  a  number 
of  spectators,  the  British  traders,  and  myself, 
all  went  over  to  Molacket. 

"The  prisoners  also  were  with  us.  Kight 
at  the  wharf  is  a  large  tree,  the  carratt-tree. 
The  pa^ty  halted  in  the  shade  of  this  tree. 
After  waiting  for  some  time,  Richard  was  es- 
corted to  the  place  by  the  Furrow  Society. 
They  were  rigged  out  in  all  of  their  gorgeous 
trappings  and  paraphernalia,  and  made  a 
grand  display.     The   welkin   did  ring   with 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  211 

their  melody,  if  I  may  call  it  by  that  name, 
Bannah  Bandah  first  shook  hands  with  Kich- 
ard;  next  George  went  to  him  and  embraced 
him ;  and  now  the  scene  that  followed,  I  can 
not  describe.  Several  hundred  persons  were 
present,  to  witness  the  proceedings.  Gund 
were  fired,  drums  were  beaten,  and  the  air 
was  filled  with  the  shouts  of  the  people. 
The  women  formed  in  companies,  danced, 
clapped  their  hands,  and  sung  songs.  After 
the  first  outburst  of  joy  was  over,  the  two 
chiefs  drank  each  other's  health,  in  water, 
each  making  a  short  speech,  promising  that 
the  past  should  all  be  forgotton  and  buried 
forever,  and  thanking  us  for  what  we  had 
done.  Other  speeches  were  made  thanking 
us  for  our  services  in  the  afiair;  and  as  all 
spoke  either  in  Sherbro  or  Mendi,  I  could 
not  understand  what  was  being  said,  only  as 
I  was  told.  It  was  now  about  2:00  o'clock  p. 
M.,  and  I  must  be  home  for  Christmas.  We 
were  now  ready  to  leave,  but  the  people 
wanted  we  should  speak  to  them  before  we 
left.  I  told  them  I  was  sorry  they  had  made 
a  mistake,  and  had  thanked  me  for  what  I 
had  done.  I  had  only  done  what  I  knew  to 
be  my  duty  to  do.     I  had  said  little  to  tlie 


212  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

chiefs.  I  knew  that  only  the  great  God  in 
heaven,  whom  I  serve,  was  able  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation.  I  had  prayed  to  him, 
and  had  asked  him,  with  my  heart,  to  make 
peace  between  the  two  chiefs,  and  to  make 
them  good  friends;  and  to  him,  and  him 
alone,  be  all  the  prais^.  They  must  thank 
God.  Mr.  Lafeever  spoke  to  them  in  Sher- 
bro.     He  is  a  very  good  speaker. 

"The  Sabbath  was  observed  both  in  Mo- 
lacket  and  Genda  Mah;  but  Mr.  Caulker 
Bays  it  was  the  first  time,  and  that  it  was  only 
kept  because  the  missionary  was  there.  I 
met  one  of  the  head-men  from  Tassoh  here. 
He  attended  both  of  our  meetings.  I  told 
him  that  I  wanted  to  come  to  Tassoh,  soon 
to  hold  meeting.  He  said,  *Make  I  wait 
fust.' 

"At  2:15  A.  M.,  December  24th,  I  reached 
the  mission,  having  been  gone  six  days. 
Christmas  night  we  began  a  protracted  meet- 
ing. December  30th  there  were  two  conver- 
sions ;  so  that,  all  told,  up  to  the  close  of  1872 
there  have  been  forty-nine  conversions.  Six 
of  these  belong  to  the  Bomphetook  work, 
and  forty-three  to  Shengay.  There  have 
been   eighty-nine  baptized.     Nine   of   these 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  213 

belong  to  Boraplietook.     Three  couple  have 
been  married. 

"Bro.  Evans  is  meeting  with  very  good 
success  at  Bomphetook  and  vicinity.  He  has 
four  places  where  he  preaches,  namely,  Coo- 
long,  Bomphetook,  Manho,  'and  Toomboo, 
He  has  made  nine  visits  to  the  work,  has 
preached  thirty  sermons,  and  there  have  been 
six  conversions.  He  has  baptized  four  con- 
verts and  five  children,  has  held  nine  seekers' 
meetings,  besides  Bible-class  and  visits  not 
kept  account  of.  Besides  this,  morning  pray- 
ers are  held,  which  a  number  of  the  town 
people  attend.  A  chapter  is  read,  some  ex- 
planations are  given,  a  hymn  is  sung,  and  a 
prayer  is  offered. 

"One  of  the  most  discouraging  features  of 
the  work  here  is  that  so  many  of  our  converts 
go  away  to  other  towns  to  live,  wherever 
they  can  get  work  or  a  good  place  to  *make 
farm.'  Persons  are  often  here  on  a  visit  for 
a  few  weeks,  become  convicted,  and  are  con- 
verted, but  they  go  away.  Y'et  I  do  not 
know  that  any  we  have  counted  have  gone 
back  to  the  world. 

"Since  I  have  been  in  Africa  I  have  spoken 
in  nineteen  different  towns  on  the  subject  of 


214  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

religion.  Brother  Evans  and  Sister  Hadley 
have  spoken  in  several  towns.  Toomboo,  I 
think,  will  be  a  very  hard  place  to  gain  con- 
verts. It  is  a  great  place  for  country  medi- 
cine— the  old  chief  himself  being  the  father 
of  the  medicine.  Across  a  river  from  Toom- 
boo is  a  town  called  Bendoo.  The  last  time 
I  was  at  Toomboo  I  sent  word  to  the  head- 
man of  Bendoo  that  I  wished  to  see  him. 
When  he  came,  I  told  him  I  wished  to  'keep' 
meeting  in  his  town  that  day.  He  said  I 
must  make  cannana  first.  I  had  nothing  to 
give  him,  so  I  held  no  meeting  there.  But 
many  of  his  people  came  over  to  Toomboo  to 
meeting. 

"We  try  to  avoid  getting  up  religious  ex- 
citements to  bring  people  into  the  Church.  My 
belief  is  that  they  make  much  better  mem- 
bers and  do  more  credit  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
if  they  are  brought  into  the  Church  during  a 
calm.  We  are  careful  for  the  reputation  of 
the  Church  throughout  the  country  here. 
People  have  the  greatest  reverence  for  the 
mission  and  the  missionaries.  Several  who 
profess  religion  have  not  yet  been  baptized 
nor  joined  the  believers'  class.  Up  to  the 
close  of  the  year  eighty- nine  have  been  bap- 


8HERBR0    MISSION.  215 

tized.  Thirty-one  of  these  are  children ;  yet 
several  of  them  have  been  converted,  being 
twelve  and  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  min- 
utes of  the  Sabbath-school  have  not  been 
kept  regularly,  but  the  average  for  the  year, 
I  think,  we  may  put  at  fifty.  During  the 
rains  the  attendance  is  small.  We  are  now 
having  in  the  Sabbath-school  from  seventy  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  This  is  the 
highest.  Thomas  says  the  average  for  the 
day-school  is  thirty.  Since  ITew-years  the 
attendance  has  been  from  forty-two  to  sixty- 
two;  but  when  the  rains  begin,  many  of 
these  children  will  be  taken  out  of  school,  to 
drive  birds  ofi'  the  rice.  One  of  the  female 
converts  was  here  from  Bomphetook,  the 
other  day.  She  told  me  that  she  could  not 
thank  God  too  much  for  bringing  the  gospel 
there ;  'that  day  when  Mr.  Evans  tell  her  he 
is  coming  again,  she  can  look  all  day  till  she 
see  the  boat,  then  her  heart  can  glad;  she  hope 
God  can  bless  all  them  people  in  America 
what  send  the  gospel  to  we.' 

"Taking  all  things  into  consideration,  I 
think  the  work  here  is  very  encouraging. 
Ethiopia  is  stretching  forth  her  hands,  and 
God  is  not  slack  concerning  his  promises. 


216  SHERBRO    MISSION. 

"To-day  is  the  21st  of  January,  1873.  I 
hope  soon  to  have  an  opportunity  to  send 
this  letter  to  you.  We  closed  our  protract- 
ed meeting  on  the  10th.  The  result  was, 
nineteen  conversions.  Sabbath,  the  19th, 
Bros.  Evans  and  Warn-er  baptized  forty -two — 
sixteen  adults  and  twenty- six  children.  At 
night,  forty-one  partook  of  the  Lord's-supper, 
and  seventeen  joined  the  believers'  class. 
These  are  now  on  the  believers'  class-book. 
And  so  the  work  goes  on.  To  God  be  all  the 
gory. 

"For  myself  and  my  wife,  I  can  say  that 
we  are  contented  and  happy  in  our  work.  I 
received  a  letter  from  Dayton  a  few  days  ago, 
asking  if  I  did  not  wish  myself  back  again  in 
Dayton,  l^o  one  need  have  any  such  appre- 
hensions. I  never  was  as  well  contented  and 
as  happy  in  a  situation  as  I  am  here.  Every 
day  I  can  point  sinners  to  the  Lamb  of  God ; 
every  day  I  can  assist  in  tearing  down  the 
strong  works  of  the  enemy  of  my  heavenly 
Father  and  my  Redeemer.  I  am  fighting 
under  the  banner  of  the  King  of  Glory,  who 
never  lost  a  battle.  In  every  contest  we 
are  sure  of  the  victory.  The  enemy  is  flying 
before  us.     I  wish  to  stay  here  to  possess  the 


SHERBRO    MISSIO>T.  217 

land.  This  is  a  glorious  warfare,  and  I  wish 
to  remain  and  see  the  end  of  the  battle ;  and 
if  you  w^ill  pray  for  it,  God  will  work  yet 
greater  wonders  here  in  Africa,  for  we  are 
told  that  he  will  withhold  no  good  thing 
from  ^them  that  walk  uprightly.  Remember 
us  to  all  friends. 

"At  6  A.  M.,  on  Sabbath,  we  have  class  ;  at 
11:00,  preaching;  at  2:00  p.  m..  Sabbath- 
school  ;  at  7:00,  preaching.  Tuesday  night 
we  have  Bible- class,  Wednesday  night,  pray- 
er-meeting, and  on  Friday  night,  seekers^ 
meeting.  We  are  visiting  and  talking  with 
the  people  every  day." 

Brother  Gomer  adds,  in  a  note  dated  Jan- 
uary 24th,  1873 : 

"My  letter  is  not  gone  yet,  and,  as  I  have 
a  few  spare  moments,  I  will  scratch  off  a  few 
lines  more,  for  I  suppose  you  wish  to  know 
of  all  our  movements.  Our  protracted  meet- 
ing  closed  on  the  10th.  On  the  11th  Bro. 
Warner  and  wife  and  Sister  Hadley  returned 
from  town.  Bro,  Warner  had  fever.  On 
the  14th, — he  being  better, — himself,  wife, 
Mrs.  Hadley,  and  myself,  started  up  the 
Cockburrow.  I  had  engaged  some  lumber 
up  the   river.     I  went   with   him  to   see  the 


218  SHERBRO   MISSION. 

parties,  I  also  wished  to  see  the  two  chiefs. 
They  are  now  the  very  best  of  friends.  Their 
war  troubles  are  all  being  adjusted,  and  it 
looks  as  though  the  country  was  going  to  be 
in  a  more  settled  condition  than  ever.  On 
the  night  of  the  15th  we  held  a  meeting  at 
Bwarlille.  We  had  left  an  appointment  at 
Molacket,  for  the  16th;  but  the  big  palaver 
was  decided  about  5  o'clock  p.  m,,  and  there 
was  such  an  uproar  in  the  town  that  it  was 
useless  to  attempt  to  hold  a  meeting.  So  we 
passed  on  to  the  mission.  We  reached  home 
on  the  17th. 

"I  should  have  sent  this  report  sooner,  but 
I  wished  to  copy  it ;  and  then  I  have  spent 
much  time  with  the  young  converts.  They 
need  and  must  have  good  attention,  for  they 
have  much  to  contend  with  here,  and  we  can 
not  afford  to  lose  one  of  them.  Our  meet- 
ings are  so  conducted  that  we  can  keep  up  a 
seekers'  class  all  the  time,  and  have  conver- 
sions right  along. 

^'On  the  25th,  the  Lord  willing,  my  wife 
and  I  expect  to  go  to  Bomphetook  to  spend 
a  few  weeks,  and  it  may  be  some  time  before 
I  write  you  again. 

^'I  wish  we  had  a  few  Arabic  Bibles.     The 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  219 

half  dozen  that  I  brought  with  me  are  gone, 
and  I  hope  that  some,  at  least,  are  doing 
good. 

"There  are  many  things  that  I  should  like 
to  write,  but  already  my  letter  is  very  tedious. 
So  I  close  by  saying,  Pray  for  the  success  of 
Zion  in  Africa.  We  will  trust  in  God  for 
success.'* 


CHAPTITR  XXXI, 

Closing   Remarks. 

THE  year  1873  witnessed  the  continued 
prosperity  of  our  mission  among  the 
Sherbroes.  Mr.  Gomer  and  his  wife  continu- 
ed to  enjoy  unusually  good  health  for  that 
climate,  and  to  labor  with  unabated  zeal  for 
'  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  Mrs.  Hadley,  too, 
remained  at  her  post  during  the  entire  year, 
retaining  the  fullest  confidence  of  the  people, 
and  teaching  and  preaching  the  kingdom  of 
God  to  them  for  whom  she  has  shown  herself 
ready  to  sufler  the  loss  of  all  things,  so  that 
she  might  both  win  Christ  herself  and  win 
the  people  to  Christ.  Early  in  the  year  Mr, 
Warner,  finding  that  Mrs,  Warner  could  not 
endure  the  climate,  returned  with  her  to 
America,  and  remained  during  the  continu- 
ance of  the  rainy  season  in  Africa,  returning 
again  in  September  to  finish  the  stone  chapel, 
and  in  other  ways  help  to  forward  the  inter- 
ests of  the  mission.     Mr.  Evans,  on  the  call 


SHERBRO   MISSION.  221 

of  the  Board,  returned  to  America  in  August, 
and  took  charge  of  a  home  mission  in  the 
Shennadoah  Valley,  Virginia. 

The  General  Conference  which  met  in  May, 
1873,  had  abundant  reason  to  thank  God  that 
they  had  four  years  ago  ordered  the  Board 
"to  keep  the  door  wide  open"  for  missionary 
labor  in  Africa.  They  heard  with  unmixed 
satisfaction,  not  of  decaying  buildings  and 
dying  hopes  in  Africa,  and  at  home  an  empty 
treasury,  no  missionaries,  and  little  disposition 
on  the  part  of  the  Church  to  furnish  either 
men  or  means  to  carry  on  the  only  foreign 
mission  under  the  care  of  the  Board;  but 
instead,  of  new  buildings,  and,  what  was  of 
far  more  consequence,  of  living  stones  gath- 
ered for  the  spiritual  temple  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  Africa ;  that  Ethiopia  was  stretching 
her  hands  to  God,  and  that  God  was  receiving 
and  saving  them  from  sin  and  death;  they 
heard  that  men  and  women  were  ready 
to  go  at  the  bidding  of  the  Board,  even  to 
Africa,  for  the  purpose  of  building  up  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom;  and  that  the  Church 
was  both  by  her  prayers  and  contributions 
saying  to  the  Board,  "Go  forward."  W^hat  a 
contrast  to  the  report  they  \vere  compelled  to 


222  SHERBRO  MISSION. 

hear  four  years  previously  !  There  was  now 
no  debate  or  hesitancy  about  the  Sherbro 
Mission.  Success  is  a  great  support  to  the 
faith  of  even  good  Christians. 

The  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ,  as  a  separate  denomination,  is  now  one 
hundred  years  old.  It  counts  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  souls  in  actual 
membership,  and  as  many  more  who  are  de- 
votedly attached  to  her,  and  as  anxious  for 
her  prosperity,  apparently,  as  if  their  names 
were  on  her  rolls.  And  she  has  millions  of 
treasure  as  well  as  grand  opportunities,  both 
at  home  and  abroad,  to  spend  it  in  extending 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  She  now  employs 
three  hundred  missionaries  in  all  the  home, 
frontier,  and  foreign  fields.  If  true  to  her 
trust,  who  can  tell  how  many  she  may  employ 
one  hundred  years  hence  !  This,  then,  is  a 
fitting  period  to  close  the  history  of  Sherbro 
mission,  or  rather,  I  might  say,  the  his- 
tory of  the  origin  of  the  mission,  for  it 
is  yet  in  its  infancy.  God  grant  that-  at  the 
end  of  another  score  of  years  instead  of  one 
hundred  converts  they  may  be  numbered  by 
the  thousand.  Have  we  not  every  reason  to 
hope  for  it?     The  gospel  is  the  power  of  God 


SHERBRO  MISSION.  223 

unto  salvation.  The  history  of  the  missions  in 
India,  and  Madagascar  Island,  and  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  the  promises  of  God's  own 
word  confirm  our  faith.  "We  have  been  sow- 
ing the  seed  for  twenty  years.  The  harvest 
is  ripe,  and  already  our  missionaries  are  gath- 
ering the  sheaves. 


MISSION  IN  GERMANY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHEiS"  the  General  Conference  was 
held  in  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania, 
May,  1869,  there  was  developed  a  strong 
desire  to  project  another  foreign  mission. 
Since  the  establishment  of  Sherbro  Mission 
the  Church  had  increased  one  half  in  mem- 
bers and  wealth,  and  it  was  believed  she  was 
not  only  able;  but  anxious  to  have  the  privil- 
ege to  support  another  foreign  mission.  The 
German  delegates  were  especially  anxious  to 
unfurl  our  banner  in  Germany.  They  main- 
tained that  we  could  more  cheaply  and  more 
speedily  win  souls  there  than  in  any  other 
foreign  country.  It  was  easily  reached  by 
well  established  lines  of  travel,  the  mission- 
aries would  speak  the  language  of  the  people, 
and  without  the  tedious  preliminary  process 
15 


226  MISSION  IN   GERMANY. 

necessary  in  most  foreign  countries  they 
could  immediately  commence  the  work  of 
evangelists.  Moreover,  the  mission  would 
soon  become  a  valuable  recruiting  station. 
The  ship  loads  of  immigrants  wending  their 
way  to  our  shores  would  contain  a  greater  or 
less  number  of  souls  who  had  been  won  to 
Christ  by  the  labors  of  our  missionaries;  and 
these  would  very  naturally  seek  a  home  with 
us  in  this  country.  These  and  other  consid- 
erations prompted  the  Board  to  make  an  ap- 
propriation for  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
in  Germany,  and  to  charge  the  Executive 
Committee  with  the  duty  of  securing  and 
appointing  a  missionary  to  that  important 
field. 

Shortly  after  the  committee  appointed  Rev. 
C.  Bischoff,  of  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1869,  he  sailed  for  Germany.  As 
had  been  expected,  he  found  an  open  door. 
The  people  were  anxious  to  hear  the  word  of 
life.  In  a  few  months  he  reported  quite  a 
number  of  souls  converted  and  a  society  or- 
ganized. It  was  not  like  going  among  a 
heathen  people.  They  were  educated.  They 
read  and  believed  the  Bible.  They  only 
wanted  some   one  whose  lips  were  touched 


MISSION  IN   GERMANY.  227 

with  a  live  coal  from  the  altar  to  teach  them 
the  doctrine  of  a  present,  free,  full,  experi- 
mental salvation.  Formalism  and  ritualism, 
a  cold  and  lifeless  style  of  theorizing,  which 
had  no  power  to  stir  men's  souls  to  conviction 
or  to  lead  them  to  the  great  Physician,  had 
taken  possession  of  the  pulpit  in  Germany. 
Hence  it  was  that  the  people  we*  e  settled 
down  in  a  state  of  deadness  and  irreligion 
little  hetter  than  that  which  preceded  the 
Reformation  headed  by  Luther  and  Mel- 
ancthon.  When,  therefore,  instead  of  the 
uncertain  sounds  of  these  faithless  shepherds, 
or  dead  dogs,  our  missionary  began  in  the 
simplicity  and  earnestness  of  a  faithful  em- 
bassador of  the  cross  to  cry  out,  "Oh,  wicked 
man,  thou  shalt  die  !"  "Except  ye  repent,  ye 
shall  all  likewise  perish  !"  the  people  soon 
began  to  ask,  "Sir,  what  must  we  do  to  be 
saved  ?"  Being  told,  they  belived  and  were 
saved.  As  one  after  another  tasted  of  the 
good  word  of  God  and  the  powers  of  the 
world  to  come  they  naturally  flowed  together. 
They  were  travelers  seeking  a  better  country, 
and  sought  company  and  fellowship  one  with 
another.  Consequently  they  organized  a 
"society" — they  dared  not  call  it  "church,"' — 


228  MISSION  IN  GERMANY. 

which  m  less  than  one  year  numbered  nearly 
one  hundred  souls.  When  the  Board  met, 
one  year  after  the  General  Conference,  they 
gave  expression  to  their  gratification  in  «the 
following : 

^^Besoloed,  That  we  are  highly  gratified  to 
learn  that  our  missionary  to  Germany  has 
been  eminently  successful.  As  the  results  of 
his  labors  for  the  past  year,  seventy-two  have 
been  brought  into  the  Church.  "We  recom- 
mend that  the  Executive  Committee  make 
arrangements  to  send  one  additional  mission- 
ary to  Germany  as  soon  as  practicable." 

Before  the  committee  had  secured  the  mis- 
sionary the  terrible  war  which  involved  not 
only  Prussia,  but  all  the  German  states,  in  a 
deadly  conflict  with  France,  was  already  be- 
gun. For  a  time  little  else  was  thought  of 
or  attempted  by  the  people.  They  rallied  to 
the  standard  of  the  fatherland  as  one  man, 
and  for  a  short  time  it  looked  like  our  mis- 
sionary would  apparently  lose  the  ground  he 
had  already  gained.  But  though  the  work 
was  hindered,  it  was  not  abandoned.  Mr. 
Bischolf  continued  to  labor;  and  amid  the 
excitement,  confusion,  cost,  and  blood  of  a 
great  war  between  two  powerful  nations,  the 


MISSION    IN    GERMANY.  229 

truth  still  found  a  lodging  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  The  committee,  of  course,  deemed 
it  not  advisable  in  this  state  of  the  national 
affairs  to  send  any  more  missionaries.  And 
when  the  Board  met,  in  August,  1871,  the 
war  cloud  having  well  nigh  passed  away, 
they  gave  expression  to  their  feelings  by  the 
passage  of  the  following  resolution : 

"We  have  abundant  cause  for  devout  grat- 
itude to  God  that  notwithstanding  the  unfa- 
vorable influences  resulting  from  the  recent 
great  war  between  Germany  and  France,  the 
success  and  present  condition  of  our  mission 
in  Germany  is  favorable. 

"We  have,  by  the  success  already  realized 
by  this  mission,  unmistakable  indications  of 
the  approbation  of  God  upon  this  special 
work,  as  well  as  the  clearest  promptings  to 
greater  and  more  vigorous  efforts  in  the  fu- 
ture. We  recommend  that  another  mission- 
ary be  sent  to  reenforce  Bro.  Bischoff"  as  soon 
as  practicable,  and  that  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee be  empowered  to  appropriate  to  it  what- 
ever amount  may  be  deemed  necessary." 

After  casting  about  for  some  time  the  com- 
mittee appointed  the  Kev.  Jacob  Ernst  and 
his  wife  as  missionaries  to  Germany. 


230  MISSION   IN    GERMANY. 

Tins  gentleman,  though  born  in  Germany, 
had  been  a  resident  of  America  for  many 
years.  He  and  his  family  were  strongly  at- 
tached to  the  free  institutions  of  their  adopt- 
ed country.  He  had  also  been  recently  settl- 
ed over  a  German  congregation  in  Toledo, 
Ohio,  and  was  just  beginning  to  feel  at  home 
when  the  Board  called  on  him  to  accept  an 
appointment  to  Bavaria.  After  considering 
the  question  most  prayerfully  he  concluded 
that  he  would  return  to  his  native  country,  and 
do  what  he  could  to  bring  his  fellow-country- 
men to  the  knowledge  of  Christ  crucified. 
Accordingly  he  sailed  from  New  York  on 
the  7th  of  December,  1872,  and  in  due  time 
arrived  safely  in  the  land  of  his  nativity. 


CHAPTER  II. 

PREVIOUS  to  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Ernst, 
Mr.  Bischoff  had  received  twenty-six 
additional  members  into  the  society,  making 
about  one  hundred  in  all. 

Our  work  had  now  so  far  progressed  and 
the  prospect  for  the  future  was  so  good  that 
our  missionaries  thought  they  could  no  longer 
go  on  without  a  legally  organized  church. 
Bavaria  has  a  state  church,  and  it  is  a  penal 
offense  to  establish  another  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  king;  and,  besides  all  this,  the 
want  of  authority  from  the  ruler  subjected 
them  to  the  jeers  and  persecutions  of  the 
multitude,  many  of  whom,  though  regular 
church-members,  were  utterly  destitute  of 
the  grace  that  brings  salvation,  and  very  big- 
oted and  intolerant  withal,  not  willing  to 
allow  any  freedom  of  utterance  or  enjoyment 
on  the  part  of  those  who  differed  in  faith  or 
practice  from  the  state  church. 

Accordingly  our  missionaries  presented  a 


232  MISSION    IN    GERMANY. 

petition  to  the  king,  including  the  confession 
of  faith,  constitution,  and  all  the  essential 
parts  of  our  Discipline,  asking  the  consent  of 
the  Crown  to  establish  a  United  Brethren 
Church  in  Bavaria.  Pending  the  considera- 
tion of  this  petition  by  the  king,  the  General 
Conference  of  1873  assembled,  and  Mr. 
Bischotf  came  all  the  way  from  Germany  to 
attend  it.  And  it  was  well  he  did.  The 
conference  seemed  to  be  inclined  to  think  our 
missionaries  had  been  entirely  too  forward  in 
presenting  this  petition.  Some,  however, 
thought  it  would  have  been  well,  had  not 
fragments  of  the  Discipline  been  left  out  of 
the  petition.  Still  others  believed  they  ought 
to  have  waited  till  authorized  by  the  General 
Conference,  or  at  least  by  the  Board  of  Mis- 
sions, before  taking  this  step.  Considerable 
discussion  ensued.  The  part  of  the  report  of 
the  Committee  on  Missions  which  recom- 
meded  that  Mr.  Bischoffs  proceedings  be 
adopted,  was  finally  referred  to  a  special 
committee  consisting  of  the  Board  of  Bishops 
and  Dr.  Davis.  The  next  day  they  reported 
in  favor  of  adopting  the  recommendation  of 
the  Mission  Committee,  and  the  conference 
without  opposition  approved  the  report. 


MISSION   IN   GERMANY,  233 

As  the  petition  presented  to  the  king  is 
rather  a  unique  document  I  herewith  present 
it  to  my  readers  : 

PETITION  TO  THE  KING  OF  BAVARIA. 

" JJw  most  serene  highness,  most  jpoiuerful  kingy 
most  gracious  king  and  lord, 

"Naila,  March  11,  1873. 

^''Most  obedient  'presentation  and  prayer  of  Chris- 
tian Bischoff  and  associates  of  Naila^for  the 
most  gracious  permission  of  building  a  relig- 
ious association  under  the  name  of  "  United 
Brethren  in  Christ  in  the  Kingdom  of  Ba- 
variaJ' 

"For  several  years  many  persons  of  the 
Lower  Naila  and  vicinity  have  felt  that  the 
word  of  God  alone  can  give  life  and  happi- 
ness. After  a  thorough  search,  we  found,  as 
your  most  obedient  and  true  servants,  that  the 
lives  of  thousands  of  men  are  not  in  accord- 
ance but  contrary  to  the  word  of  God. 

"The  consciences  of  the  better  part  of  men, 
by  the  word  of  God  awakened  more  and 
more,  and  also  sought  to  lead  better  lives,  and 
by  the  help  of  God  continue  therein. 

"These  persons  did  get  more  and  more  ac- 


234  MISSION   IN    GERMANY. 

quainted  with  one  another,  and  as  they  sought 
one  point,  and  to  serve  our  Lord,  they  did 
build  a  society,  which  they  named  "Christian 
Association  at  IN'aila."  They  sought  (and  it 
was  granted  to  them)  the  permission  of  the 
king's  court,  in  1870. 

"These  simple  private  meetings  were,  to 
many  persons,  a  blessing,  and,  therefore,  they 
found  it  necessary  and  convenient  to  assem- 
ble together,  as  such  who  will  try  to  serve 
our  Lord,  for  they  were  of  one  heart  and  one 
mind. 

"The  Lord  God  now  gave  the  chance  that 
Christian  Bischoff  went  to  America,  where 
he  lived  for  several  years,  and  where  he  was 
thoroughly  converted  to  Him  who  died  for 
him.  Soon  he  felt  the  impression  on  his 
mind  to  preach  Christ  and  him  crucified,  and 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  among 
the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  as  his  inclosed 
license  of  ordination  will  also  show,  and  as 
such  he  returned  to  Naila,  in  Bavaria. 

"When  he  returned,  he  still  found  the  small 
flock  which  he  had  left  several  years  pre- 
viously, anxious  to  work  out  their  salvation 
with  fear  and  trembling,  and  he  soon  joined 
them  as  leader,  to  which  he  was  appointed 
May  31st,  1870. 


MISSION   IN   GERMANY.  235 

^'They  now  held  their  own  meetings,  and 
the  Lord  blest  them  abundantly,  and  many 
were  converted  to  God.  They  declared  that 
they  would  not  erect  a  different  church,  but 
would  stay  as  a  society,  provided  they  would 
not  hinder  them  in  their  meetings. 

"It  was  soon  found  that  they  must  extend 
their  association,  for  there  were  more  people 
who  would  come  and  assemble  with  them, 
and,  therefore,  they  asked  for  more  liberty  to 
hold  their  meetings.  But  then  they  were 
threatened  by  the  clergy,  as  well  as  by  several 
ruffians,  and  it  was  tried  to  hinder  them  in 
assembling  together.  They  therefore  appeal- 
ed to  the  court  to  establish  a  "home  mission 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  in  the  king- 
dom of  Bavaria;"  but  this  was  refused  to 
them  on  the  18th  of  January,  1873,  for  the 
following  reasons : 

"(a.)  As  C.  Bischoff  would  do  such  things 
as  were  only  allowed  to  the  clergy  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church  of  Bavaria,  as  preaching  the 
gospel  and  teaching  religious  doctrines  to  old 
and  young,  administering  the  sacraments,  &c. 

"(6.)  As  his  actions  plainly  show  that  he  w;ill 
not  only  be  the  leader  of  a  small  congrega- 
tion,— as  he  expressed  himself, — but  to  preach 


236  MISSION    IN    GERMANY, 

and  teach  doctrines  contrary  to  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  so  establish  another  religious 
body,  namely,  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ, 
of  America. 

"(c.)  To  this  the  law  requires  that  they  must 
have  the  consent  of  his  majesty  the  king, 
according  to  sections  26  and  27 ;  and  there- 
fore they  must  take  this  step  to  be  allowed  to 
have  their  own  society.  They  have,  accord- 
ing to  law,  made  their  wishes  known  to  the 
pastor  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  they 
so  long  delayed,  and  also  to  the  Court  of 
Naila,  that  they  wish  to  dissolve  their  former 
connection  as  a  little  class  of  brethren  and 
sisters  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 

"Although  they  acted  strictly  according  to 
law,  they  were  notified  that  if  they  should 
further  assemble  together  to  hold  religious 
meetings,  they  would  be  fined  fifteen  dollars, 
as  the  law  states. 

"Therefore,  the  undersigned  most  obedient 
servants  of  your  most  esteemed  highness,  the 
King  of  Bavaria,  are  compelled  to  withdraw 
from  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  they  have 
done.  They  now  stand  alone,  without  any 
spiritual  food  in  the  church  which  they  so 
much  need;  and  they  desire  to  build  up  their 


MISSION  IN   GERMANY.  237 

own  society, — a  society  with  the  doctrines 
and  confessions  of  faith  which  your  majesty 
will  find  annexed  to  this  petition.  We  would 
most  obediently  pray  your  most  gracious 
majesty,  the  most  serene  highness  the  King 
of  Bavaria,  to  grant  to  us  your  most  gracious 
permission  to  establish  a  Church  of  the  Unit- 
ed  Brethren   in  Christ  in   the  Kingdom   of 

Bavaria." 

[Signed  by  the  Petitioners.] 

I  regret  that  my  book  goes  to  press  before 
learning  whether  the  king  has  granted  the 
request  of  the  petitioners. 


HOME  MISSIONS. 


GHAl'TER  I. 

Origin  of  the  Missionary  Society. 

AS  it  may  be  several  years  before  a  his- 
tory proper  of  our  home  and  frontier 
mission  work  will  be  ofl'ered  to  the  Church, 
it  has  been  deemed  best  to  present  a  brief 
statement  of  these  departments  of  our  mission 
work  in  this  volume.  To  do  this  satisfactor- 
ily in  the  space  alloted  is  a  rather  difficult 
task.  ^Nevertheless  it  is  believed  that  an  in- 
creased degree  of  usefulness,  the  chief  object 
aimed  at  by  its  publication,  will  be  given  the 
volume  by  this  supplement. 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Church  of 
the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  was  organized 
by  the  General  Conference  which  assembled  in 
the  month  of  May,  1853,  in  Miltonville,  But- 
ler County,  Ohio. 

But  the  reader  must  not  suppose  for  a 
moment  that  this  Church  was  not  engaged  in 


HOME  MISSIONS.  239 

the  missionary  enterprise  prior  to  this  date. 
Nearly  all  the  annual  conferences  had  their 
missions,  made  annual  collections,  and,  with- 
in their  own  territorial  limits,  expended  their 
labor  and  their  money.  The  time  had  now 
come  when  all  felt  that  an  efficient  missionary 
organization  was  demanded  alike  by  the  wants 
of  the  church  at  large  and  those  who  were 
without  thC' gospel.  It  was  not  deemed  quite 
right  or  in  keeping  with  the  teachings  of 
God's  word  to  confine  our  efforts  exclusively 
to  the  limits  of  the  annual  conferences. 
Hence  the  organization  of  the  Missionary 
Society  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  "aiding 
the  annual  conferences  in  extending  their 
missionary  labors  throughout  the  country 
and  into  foreign  and  heathen  lands." 

The  design  of  this  supplement  is  to  show 
as  nearly  as  possible  what  these  annual  con- 
ferences have  been  enabled  in  the  last  twenty 
years  to  do  inside  their  own  territorial  limits, 
and  in  building  up  the  Church  in  other  sec- 
tions of  the  country  under  the  management 
of  the  Missionary  Society.  It  will  be  observ- 
ed that  the  parent  Board  is  merely  the  aggre- 
gate of  which  each  annual  conference  is  a 
part,  having  a  branch  secretary  and  a  branch 


240  HOME   MISSIONS. 

treasurer  of  the  Missionary  Society.  Thus 
the  whole  Church  is  linked  together  in  a 
society  for  the  purpose  of  concentrating  its 
forces  and  so  disposing  of  them  as  to  accom- 
plish far  better  results  than  could  be  hoped 
for  by  the  independent  and  fragmentary  efforts 
put  forth  by  each  annual  conference. 

When  the  Missionary  Society  was  organiz- 
ed there  were  only  fourteen  annual  confer- 
ences, namely  :  Pennsylvania,  East  Pennsyl- 
vania, Virginia,  Alleghany,  Scioto,  Miami, 
Muskingum,  Sandusky,  Illinois,  Wabash, 
Indiana,  White  River,  St.  Joseph,  and  Iowa. 

The  whole  number  of  members  in  the 
Church  at  this  period  did  not  exceed  fifty 
thousand.  The  Miltonville  General  Confer- 
ence took  the  question  of  a  missionary  society 
under  consideration,  and  after  mature  delib- 
eration gave  the  Church  a  constitution  so 
well  adapted  to  its  wants  that  few  changes 
have  been  required  in  it  during  the  score  of 
years  it  has  been  in  operation  ;  a  high  com- 
pliment to  the  sagacity  and  forethought  of 
the  ministers  composing  said  body. 

Before  attempting  to  describe  the  organi- 
zation and  practical  workings  of  the  Board 
itself  I  will  note  a  few  of  the  movements  of 


HOME   MISSIONS.  241 

the  annual  conferences  immediately  preceding 
the  organization  of  the  Missionary  Society. 

For  several  years  the  conferences  were 
thinking  and  praying  for  the  more  rapid 
spread  of  the  truth,  and  striving,  each  in  its 
own  way  and  time,  to  huild  up  the  Master's 
kingdom.  A  number  of  them  organized 
themselves  into  home  missionary  societies 
for  the  purpose  of  systematizing  and  more 
rapidly  advancing  the  work  of  evangelization. 
Scioto  and  Muskingum  conferences  led  off  in 
this  good  work,  in  1838.  The  Virginia  Con- 
ference followed  in  1839,  and  the  Alleghany 
in  1840.  The  General  Conference,  held  in 
1841,  appointed  a  missionary  Board,  hut  it 
would  seem  made  no  definite  arrangements 
for  the  line  of  policy,  if  indeed  it  had  any 
plan  or  outline  of  a  policy,  for  the  Board  to 
pursue.  The  consequence  was,  the  Board  did 
nothing.  The  General  Conference  of  1845, 
however,  appointed  another  Board,  which  fol- 
lowed in  its  predecessor's  steps  very  closeW. 
It  did  nothing ;  it  undertook  nothing.  Four 
years  more  of  inactivity  did  not  suffice  to 
open  the  eyes  either  of  the  Board  or  the 
G-eneral  Conference.  The  General  Confer- 
ence assembled  again  in  1849,  and  so  eas}'  is 
i6 


242  HOME    MISSIONS. 

it  for  an  assembly  of  men,  as  well  as  an  in- 
dividual, to  move  on  in  a  well-marked  groove, 
that  they  again  elected  a  Board  of  Missions 
without  giving  it  a  constitution  or  pointing 
out  particularly  what  it  was  expected  to  do, 
or  by  what  method  it  might  accomplish  the 
work.  Four  years  more  passed.  By  this 
time  the  pent  up  zeal  of  the  annual  confer- 
ences could  no  longer  be  restrained.  The 
Miltonville  General  Conference  gave  to  the 
Missionary  Society  a  constitution,  elected 
officers  charged  with  specific  duties,  and 
placed  behind  them  a  Board  of  Directors. 
I^Tow  the  work  began  to  move  on  in  earnest. 

But  previous  to  this  the  annual  conferences 
were  not  idle.  The  Sandusky  Conference,  as 
early  as  1840,  had  formed  a  few  classes  in  the 
State  of  Michigan,  The  good  work  increased 
as  the  years  wore  away,  until  at  the  time  of 
the  organization  of  the  Missionary  Society 
in  1853,  the  classes  and  circuits  in  the  State 
of  Michigan  were  set  apart  as  a  mission-con- 
ference, having  eleven  preachers  and  several 
hundred  members. 

The  G-erman  ministers  were  also  actively 
engaged.  They  had  commenced  preaching 
in  a  goodly  number  of  towns  and  cities  in 


HOME    MISSIONS.  243 

different  portions  of  the  country,  and  had  or- 
ganized a  great  many  churches.  In  the  prose- 
cution of  their  work  they  received  some  sup- 
port from  individuals  and  from  conferences, 
though  most  of  them  labored  at  a  heavy 
personal  sacrifice.  When  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1853  assembled,  these  churches 
were  in  a  healthy,  growing  condition,  and 
were  consequently  set  apart  as  a  separate 
annual  conference. 

The  Miami  Conference  also  manifested  a 
commendable  zeal  in  missionary  work.  After 
the  division  of  the  territory  originally  known 
as  the  Miami  Conference,  in  1853,  giving  the 
south-eastern  portion  of  the  State  of  Ohio  to 
the  Scioto  Conference,  there  had  been  several 
conferences  organized  in  territory  that  had 
been  known  under  the  general  name  of  Miami. 
The  Indiana,  and  the  Auglaize,  may  be  men- 
tioned, the  last  named  being  disconnected 
from  the  old  conference  by  the  General  Con- 
ference which  assembled  in  1853. 

The  Sandusky  Conference,  which  was  be- 
gun by  the  Muskingum  Conference  in  1829, 
had  grown  to  large  proportions  by  the  meet- 
ing of  the  General  Conference  in  1853.  The 
Bevers,    Brights,    Lillibridges,    Longs,    and 


244  HOME   MISSIONS. 

other  ministers  whose  names  were  towers  of 
strength,  had  built  up  a  flourishing  confer- 
ence, which  as  to  members,  wealth,  and  intel- 
ligence had  become  one  of  the  first  in  the 
whole  denomination.  It  took  a  leading  part 
in  diffusing  the  principles  which  led  to  the 
organization  of  the  Missionary  Society.  At 
the  annual  conference  in  1852,  a  committee, 
of  which  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Bright  was  chair- 
man, made  in  substance  the  following  report 
on  missions,  which  was  unanimously  adopted 
by  the  conference: 

L  That  the  time  has  now  come  when  the 
United  Brethren  Church  should  unite  hei 
whole  strength  in  a  Missionary  Society,  which 
shall  include  not  only  the  home  but  the  fron- 
tier and  foreign  fields  within  the  sphere  of  its 
labors. 

^  II.  That  the  Sandusky  Conference  organize 
itself  into  a  branch  missionary  society,  with 
the  prayer  that  the  General  Conference  will 
form  a  general  society,  of  which  each  confer- 
ence may  be  a  branch. 

III.  That  the  payment  of  one  dollar  shall 
constitute  a  person  a  member  of  the  societj^ 
for  one  year ;  ten  dollars,  a  life  member;  and 
fifty  dollars,  a  life  director. 


HOME    MISSIONS.  245 

IV,  That  our  brethren  be  entreated  to  ex- 
ercise the  most  prayerful  thought  and  careful 
inquiry  into  the  wants  of  the  nominally  Chris- 
tian, and  especially  heathen  world,  that  their 
views  may  be  enlarged  in  regard  to  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  work  devolving  upon  the  Chris- 
tian church,  in  fulfilling  the  commission  given 
by  our  Savior  on  the  mount,  just  before  his 
ascension. 

After  this  the  reader  will  not  wonder  that, 
as  the  General  Conference  so  closely  followed 
the  principles  enunciated  in  these  resolutions, 
it  should  elect  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Bright  for  its 
first  corresponding  secretary.  He  was  a  man 
of  decided  ability  and  unusual  zeal,  well 
qualified  for  the  duties  of  the  position,  and 
he  soon  infused  his  own  spirit,  in  a  large 
measure,  into  the  hearts  of  hundreds  of  min- 
isters and  laymen. 

Shortly  after  the  territory  of  Oregon  was 
opened  to  settlers,  a  number  of  United  Breth- 
ren families  Irom  the  eastern  part  of  the 
Union,  removed  to  the  new  territory  where, 
in  addition  to  other  privations  incident  to 
pioneer  life,  they  were  entirely  destitute  of 
the  ministrations  of  God's  house.  In  this 
state  of  spiritual  destitution  they  wrote  sev- 


246  HOME    MISSIONS. 

eral  very  touching  appeals  to  the  ministers 
and  members  of  the  Church  in  the  East. 
These  appeals  were  published  in  the  Religious 
Telescope,  and  widely  read.  They  produced 
the  impression  everywhere  that  the  Church 
in  some  way  ought  to  send  missionaries  to 
that  distant  land,  and  that,  too,  without  de- 
lay. After  a  short  time,  Kev.  T.  J.  Conner, 
of  the  White  River  Conference,  suggested 
through  the  church  organ  the  propriety  of 
making  up  a  colony  of  United  Brethren  fam- 
ilies, among  them  as  many  preachers  as 
could  be  enlisted,  to  emigrate  to  Oregon 
and  make  it  their  permanent  home.  The 
suggestion  was  well  received,  and  in  due 
course  of  time  the  colony,  including  Mr. 
Conner  and  his  family,  and  Rev.  J.  Kenoyer, 
also  of  White  River  Conference,  were  en 
route  for  Oregon  Territory,  by  the  overland 
route.  This  was  in  1853,  so  that  they  were 
on  the  way  at  the  very  time  the  Miltonville 
General  Conference  was  in  session. 

^o  one  but  the  members  of  the  colony 
knows,  or  can  know,  what  hardships  and 
suflerings  they  endured  before  reaching  their 
destination.  However,  after  a  tedious  and 
perilous  journey  they  at  length  found  a  home 


HOME   MISSIONS.  247 

in  the  new  territory,  the  ministers  supporting 
themselves  and  their  families,  for  the  most 
part,  with  the  labor  of  their  own  hands,  and 
at  the  same  time  serving  as  shepherds  over 
the  fleck  of  God  in  that  vast  wilderness.  The 
church  in  the  East  did  not  pay  more  than 
half  their  expenses,  and  the  colonists  could 
do  no  more  than  take  care  of  themselves.' 

It  may  be  added  here  that  the  White  Eiver 
and  the  Sciota  Conferences  were  not  only 
first  in  urging  the  colony  to  emigrate  to  Ore- 
gon, but  they  furnished  most  of  the  money 
by  which  the  missionaries  were  sent  and  sus- 
tained for  the  first  year  after  their  arrival. 

Mr.  Conner  and  Mr.  Kenoyer  labored  amid 
many  discouragements,  but  God  owned  their 
labors,  and  in  a  comparatively  short  time 
they  began  to  organize  churches  and  group 
them  together  so  as  to  form  missions  and  cir- 
cuits. In  his  first  report  to  the  Board,  re- 
ceived by  Mr.  Bright  in  July,  1853,  Mr 
Conner  wrote  that  he  had  not  been  able  to 
find  more  than  sixty  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church  in  Oregon,  including  the 
colony  that  accompanied  him.  This  was  but 
a  small  beginning;  but  God  does  not  despise 
the  day  of  small  things,  and  He  soon  caused 


248  HOME   MISSIONS. 

the  Oregon  brethren  to  experience  the  truth 
of  the  assertion  that  He  can  work  by  many 
or  by  few.  The  demands  for  preaching  were 
many  and  pressing,  and  in  a  comparatively 
brief  period,  as  we  shall  see,  it  grew  to  be 
quite  a  flourishing  Conference. 

Let  us  recapitulate :  In  1853  the  United 
Brethren  Church  numbered  fifty  thousand 
communicants,  and  probably  four  hundred 
itinerant  and  three  hundred  local  preachers. 
These  figures  are  as  nearly  correct  as  can  be 
now  obtained.  They  are  sufficiently  accurate 
for  all  practical  purposes.  These  members 
and  ministers  were  included  in  fourteen  an- 
nual conferences.  But,  as  already  shown, 
four  new  conferences  were  set  apart  at  this 
time,  namely  :  The  Ohio  German,  the  Mich- 
igan, the  Auglaize,  and  the  Oregon.  But 
these  new  conferences  did  not  increase  the 
number  of  members  or  ministers,  all  of 
whom  were  included  in  the  previous  reckon- 
ing. 

Such  is  a  brief  statement  of  the  numbers 
in  the  United  Brethren  Church  in  1853. 

Of  the  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  senior 
bishop  of  the  Church,  was  elected  president ; 


HOME    NISSIONS.  249 

Rev.  II.  Kumler,  jr.,  Rev.  D.  Edwards,  and 
Rev.  L.  Davi'S,  vice-presidents;  Rev.  J.  C. 
Bright,  corresponding  secretary ;  Rev.  John 
Kemp,  jr.,  treasurer ;  Rev.  Wm.  Longstreet, 
Rev.  D.  Shuck,  T.  :N".  Sowers,  Esq.,  Rev.  D. 
B.  Grouse,  and  John  Dodds,  Esq.,  managers 
or  board  of  directors. 

The  corresponding  secretary  gave  himself 
immediately  to  the  work.  He  traveled  ex- 
tensively, preached  and  lectured  incessantly, 
wrote  private  letters,  and  published  frequent 
and  stirring  appeals  to  the  Church  at  large, 
and  to  the  annual  conferences.  Such  efforts 
produced  their  proper  fruits.  The  Church 
began  to  move.  It  could  not  but  feel  that 
something  more  thorough  and  aggressive 
than  it  had  ever  yet  undertaken,  must  be  be- 
gun and  carried  on  with  a  degree  of  zeal 
corresponding  to  its  numbers  and  wealth,  if 
it  wished  to  retain  its  good  name  among  the 
evangelical  churches  of  the  land. 


t' 


CHAPTER  II. 

MISSION  CONFERENCES— STATISTICS. 

THE  t-wellth  General  Conference  convened 
in  ^fertsville,  Indiana,  in  May,  1857. 
The  cause  of  missions  was  working  more 
effectually  than  the  most  sanguine  could 
have  hoped  four  years  before.  A  number  of 
new  conferences  were  either  already  organiz- 
ed, or  waited  the  bidding  of  the  General 
Conference  to  become  organized  parts  of  the 
Church  at  large. 

CANADA  CONFERENCE. 

The  mission  work  in  Canada,  under  the 
lead  of  that  indefatigable  laborer,  the  Rev. 
I.  Sloan,  formerly  of  the  Scioto  Conference, 
had  so  increased  in  fact,  and  presented  such 
an  inviting  future  that  an  annual  conference 
was  organized  by  Bishop  Glossbrenner,  April 
19, 1856.  The  new  conference  numbered  six 
itinerant  preachers,  and  a  membership  of  152. 
They  had  strong  faith,  a  broad  and  inviting 


HOME    MISSIONS.  251 

field,  and  the  command  of  the  Master,  "Go 
into  my  vineyard  and  work." 

The  corresponding  secretary,  Mr.  Bright, 
reported  that  the  Canada  Conference,  up  to 
the  period  of  its  organization  had  cost  the 
Board  of  Missions,  §1,709.43.  But  the  infant 
conference  had  ah-eady  paid  to  the  Board 
of  Missions  and  to  their  own  missionaries 
$1,076.57,  so  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
Canada  Conference  had  only  cost  the  Board 
§633.43  !  It  now  had  a  membership  of  400, 
and  was  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

KANSAS   CONFERENCE. 

Missionary  operations  had  also  been  com- 
menced in  Kansas.  Rev.  S.  S.  Snyder  and 
Rev.  John  Ginerich,  of  the  Alleghany,  and 
Rev.  ^V.  A.  Cardwell,  of  the  White  River 
Conference,  were  the  first  missionaries  sent  to 
this  fair,  young  territory.  Having  a  mild 
climate,  a  soil  of  unsurpassed  fertility,  and 
immigrants  pouring  into  it  by  the  thousand 
it  was  supposed  to  be  a  very  inviting  mission- 
ary field  Alas,  for  human  expectations  !  It 
proved  for  several  years  to  be  the  theater  of 
strife  and  bloodshed.  It  was  not  yet  deter- 
mined whether  it  should  be  a  free  or  a  slave 


252  HOME  MISSIONS. 

state.  The  immigrants  from  the  South  were 
resolved  that  its  fair  plains  should  be  set  apart 
for  the  expansion  and  rapid  growth  of  the 
^'peculiar  institution,"  as  slavery  was  fondly 
termed  by  the  South,  and  the  immigrants  from  ^ 
the  North  were  equally  determined  that  this 
noble  territory  should  be  consecrated  to  free- 
dom. I  need  not  recount  the  struggle  that 
ensued.  What  with  the  insolence  of  southern 
immigrants,  backed  by  rich  slaveholders  in  the 
states,  a  Supreme  Court  that  declared  '*  that 
negroes  had  no  rights  that  white  men  are 
bound  to  respect,"  and  a  President  in  the 
chair  at  Washington  thoroughly  allied  to  the 
slaveholding  interests,  and  as  thoroughly  de- 
termined to  force  upon  the  unwilling  citizens 
ot  Kansas  a  pro-slavery  constitution,  our  mis- 
sionaries found  it  was  very  difficult  soil  to 
cultivate.  At  this  period  Mr.  Bright  wrote : 
"The  political  sky  in  Kansas  is  a  little  cloudy 
at  present,  but  freedom  must,  in  the  end, 
prevail.  And  if  Kansas  should  even  be  a 
slave  state,  we  ought  not,  on  that  account, 
abandon  it.  Oh,  no  !  The  gospel  of  Christ 
is  LIGHT,  and  wherever  the  dark  cloud  of 
slavery  is  spread,  there  should  the  gospel 
light  be  diffused." 


HOME   MISSIONS.  253 

Our  brethren,  however,  had  counted  the 
cost  and  were  determined  not  to  be  foiled  by 
trifles,  or  even  the  most  powerful  impediments 
that  men  and  devils  might  oppose  to  their 
progress.  They  were,  indeed,  sometimes 
"troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  distressed ; 
perplexed,  but  not  in  despair;  persecuted, 
but  not  forsaken  ;  cast  down,  but  not  destroy- 
ed ;"  and  as  they  went  forth  weeping,  bearing 
precious  seed,  God  caused  it  to  take  root  and 
grow,  so  that  the  General  Conference  set 
apart  that  portion  of  the  mission  work  for  a 
new  conference.  Accordingly  Bishop  Ed- 
wards visited  the  state  and  organized  the 
Kansas  Conference,  October  30,  1857.  There 
were  nine  itinerant  preachers  and  196  mem- 
bers. So  much  for  faith  and  perseverance  in 
the  cause  of  freedom,  and  of  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  people. 

MINNESOTA  CONFERENCE. 

This  conference  was  set  apart  by  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  in  May  of  1857,  and  organized 
by  Bishop  L.  Davis  in  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year.  It  had  three  itinerants  at  that 
time,  namely.  Rev.  J.  W.  Fulkerson,  Rev.  E. 
Clow,  and  Rev.  John  Haney,  and  a  member- 


254  HOME   MISSIONS. 

ship  of  nearly  two  hundred.  A  scarcity  of 
laborers  was  then,  and  has  always  been,  the 
crying  want  of  the  Minnesota  Conference. 
E'evertheless  we  have  always  had  a  few  ear- 
nest and  most  faithful  itinerants  in  that  new 
and  flourishing  state,  nowithstanding  the 
severity  of  the  climate,  and  the  tendency  of  the 
people  to  Congregationalism.  The  confer- 
ence was  now  fairly  established,  and  we  shall 
take  pleasure  in  recording  its  progress  from 
time  to  time.     Meantime  we  turn  to  the 

MISSOURI  CONFERENCE. 

This  state  has  been  the  theater  of  the  labors 
and  some  prosperity  for  a  number  of  mission- 
aries. In  the  south-western  part  of  the  state 
considerable  effort  was  put  forth  and  a  mis- 
sion-conference organized  by  Bishop  D.  Ed- 
wards in  [N'ovember,  1854.  There  were  ^ve 
preachers  and  as  many  fields  of  labor.  But  the 
excitement  on  the  slavery  question,  "  border 
rufiianism,"  and  the  hatred  to  the  United 
Brethren  Church  by  slaveholders,  on  account 
of  her  testimony  against  the  institution  of 
slavery,  well  nigh  extinguished  the  work  in 
that  part  of  the  state.  True,  the  ministers 
clung  tenaciously  to  their  convictions  and  to 


HOME   MISSIONS.  255 

the  Churcli  of  their  choice,  and  many  of  the 
members  still  preserved  their  integrity,  but 
our  preachers  were  compelled  to  leave  the 
country  and  seek  homes  elsewhere. 

But  while  the  work  seemed  to  be  suspended 
in  the  southern,  the  good  seed  was  being 
sown  by  some  of  the  ministers  of  the  Des 
Moines  Conference  in  the  northern  part  of 
Missouri,   and  the    General    Conference    of 

1857  recommended  the  organization  of  a  new 
conference  at  an  early  day.     In  the  fall  of 

1858  Bishop  Edwards  had  the  pleasure  of  or- 
ganizing said  body  with  a  membership  of 
358,  and  nine  fields  of  labor.  They  held  an- 
other conference  next  spring,  after  an  interval 
of  only  five  months,  and  found  that  the  mem- 
bership had  increased  to  809.  This  was  a 
very  fair  beginning,  and  the  conference  has 
continued  to  increase  ever  since. 

WISCONSIN  CONFERENCE. 

The  first  mission'  work  in  the  State  of 
Wisconsin  by  the  United  Brethren  Church 
was  begun  by  ministers  from  Illinois,  chief 
among  them  Rev.  James  Davis.  The  Gener- 
al Conference  of  1857,  learning  of  the  work 
in  that  state,  ordered  a  separate  conference 


256  HOME   MISSIONS. 

to  be  organized  as  soon  as  practicable.  Ac- 
cordingly Bishop  Davis  met  the  preachers  in 
Dane  County,  in  the  fall  of  1858,  and  organiz- 
ed a  conference  of  twenty-one  preachers,  and 
supplied  as  many  fields  of  labor.  The  num- 
ber of  members  was  reported  -at  554. 

PARKERSBURG  CONFERENCE. 

At  the  same  General  Conference  the  Park- 
ersburg  Conference  was  set  off  from  the  Vir- 
ginia Conference.  It  is  located  in  West 
Virginia.  One  year  after  their  organization 
they  reported  a  membership  of  1,894.  Sala- 
ry paid  the  preachers,  $1,404.92. 

KENTUCKY  MISSION-CONFERENCE. 

Rev.  A.  Armstrong  and  Rev.  W.  Blair,  two 
very  devoted  ministers  whom  God  raised  up 
to  preach  in  this  state,  reporte  d  six  preachers, 
nine  meeting  houses,  and  three  fields  of  labor. 
The  General  Conference  therefore  recognized 
it  as  one  of  its  own  children,  an  d  set  it  off  as 
a  conference  to  be  organized  by  one  of  the 
bishop's  at  an  early  day. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  in  four  years  after 
the  organization  of  the  Missionary  Society 
there  were  added  to  the  Church,  Oregon, 
Kansas,     Missouri,     Minnesota,    , Wisconsin, 


HOME   MISSIONS  257 

Kentucky,  Parkersbur^,  and  Canada  confer- 
ences. True,  they  were  not  yet  all  organized 
at  the  meeting  of  the  General  Conference, 
but  they  were  already  in  existence,  in  fact 
some  of  them  were  actually  organized,  and 
others  only  waited  for  a  formal  recognition 
by  the  bishop. 

The  expenditures  of  the  Board  for  the 
whole  field  for  the  first  quadrennial  term  will 
be  seen  by  the  following 

TABLE. 

Oregon  Conference $  3,420  00 

Kansas  Conference 2,550  00 

Missouri  Conference 1,750  00 

Ohio  German  Conference 2,950  00 

Michigan  Conference 1,200  00 

Minnesota  Conference 400  00 

Canada  Conference 2,401  00 

Nebraska  Missions 1,500  00 

Total  for  frontier  work $16,171  00 

Sherbro  Mission,  West  Africa 5,500  00 

Home  missions (50,102  42 

MISCELLANEOUS  EXPENSES. 

Salaries  for  the  four  years $1350  00 

Traveling  and  other  expenses 366  06 

Printing  annual  reports,  certificates,  &c.    624  34 

Total 2,240  40 

Total  expenditures  of  the  society  for  the 
quadrennial  term  ending  April  30,  1857.  $84,013  82 

The  foregoing  table  shows  tliat  the  annual 

17 


258  HOME    MISSIONS. 

conferences,  instead  of  diminishing  their  ef- 
forts in  the  home  work  by  the  assistance  they 
gave  to  the  frontier  and  foreign  fields,  were 
actually  quickened  into  far  greater  activity, 
thus  verifying  the  proverb,  "The  liberal  soul 
shall  be  made  fat :  and  he  that  watereth  shall 
be  watered  also  himself." 

The  bishops'  address  to  the  conference 
showed  that  there  were  now  449  itinerant 
and  417  local  preachers,  in  all  866.  The  mem- 
bership of  the  Church  had  swelled  to  61,399, 
an  increase  of  6,044  members  in  one  year, 
and  a  gain  in  the  four  years  of  11,399.  There 
were  now  twenty-two  annual  conferences,  a 
gain  of  eight  in  four  years. 

Such  is  a  statement  of  the  condition  and 
prospects  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  in 
its  home  and  frontier  mission  work  in  May, 
1857. 


CHArTER  III. 

Organization  of  Nebraska  Conference — General  Statistics, 

THE  thirteenth  General  Conference  was 
held  in  Westerville,  Ohio,  in  May, 
1861.  There  were  now  thirty  conferences  in 
the  Church,  including  those  which  had  been 
recognized  by  the  preceding  General  Confer- 
ence, and  one  or  two  which  had  been  organ- 
ized without  any  special  order  from  that 
body,  namely : 

Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  East  Pennsylvania, 
Alleghany,  Parkersburg,  Scioto,  Miami,  Mus- 
kingum, Erie,  Sandusky,  Auglaize,  Ohio  Ger- 
man, Canada,  Michigan,  Indiana,  White 
River,  St.  Joseph,  Upper  Wabash,  Lower 
Wabash,  Illinois,  Rock  River, Wisconsin,  Min- 
nesota, Iowa,  Des  Moines,  Missouri,  Kansas, 
Canada,  Kentucky,  and  Oregon.  There  were 
no  delegates  from  Oregon  or  Kentucky.  The 
presiding  bishops  were  J.  Russel,  J.  J.  Gloss- 
brenner,  D.  Edwards,  and  L.  Davis. 

NEBRASKA  CONFERENCE. 

This   work   had   grown   into  some  couse- 


260  HOME   MISSIONS. 

quence  under  the  faithful  labors  of  Eev.  J. 
M.  Dosh,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1858  Bishop 
Edwards  visited  the  territory  and  organized 
the  Nebraska  Conference.  It  maintained  its 
existence,  but  its  growth  was  rather  slow! 
At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Conference 
in  1861,  its  statistics  showed  that  it  had  eight 
classes  and  135  members,  live  Sabbath-schools 
and  160  scliolars.  A  lack  of  laborers  appears 
to  have  been  the  chief  cause  of  delay  in  the 
I^ebraska  mission  work. 

The  tables  following  will  give  the  reader  a 
better  understanding  of  the  Missionary  Soci- 
ety's opei'ations  in  the  frontier  than  could 
otherwise  be  obtained. 

The  ]^ew  England  mission  referred  to  on 
next  page  was  projected,  and  thus  far  sup- 
ported by  the  Sandusky  Conference.  On  the 
7th  of  February,  1859,  Bishop  Davis  dedicat- 
ed the  first  United  Brethren  chapel  in  Massa- 
chusetts. 

I  find  it  very  difl&cult  to  obtain  reliable 
statistics.  In  fact  it  is  utterly  impossible  to 
trace  all  the  details  of  the  home  missionary 
operations. 


HOME    MISSIONS. 


261 


'Missionary  Collec- 
tion in  1861 

rt<  -O  O  -H     •  ^  -^     • 

CO  r-(  CO  cTs    :  o  CO    :    :    :    :    :    : 

o-McTico    :coo    :    '■    ''    '■    '■    : 

OCO'^CO     ;coco     :     ;     ;     :     ;     : 

^9 

Salary  of  Preach- 
ers in  1861 

$1446  32 
867  96 
983  76 
568  83 

"2888"50 
.$6755  37 

Missionary  Col- 
lection in  1857... 

$1076  57 
20  00 
50  0(J 



5 

Salary  of  Preach- 
ers in  1857 

SS   I   I  i   :   {:   i   :    I 
t^  o    :   :    :    1    :   1    :    •    • 

^^  i  i  i  n  i  i  M 

Church-members 
in  1861 

(Ml-OOCSCOCvlTPOCSr-1r-l^ 
(M'       r-T              r-Tr-r 

o" 

Church  -  members 
in  1857 

o^o::j|o5:::: 

2' 

Money   Collected 
for  S.  S.  Purposes 
in  1861  

^88  r:  M  1 :  i  M  i 

^^5^  M  i  :  !  i  I  i  j  i 

^           1    i    i    :    •    ;   ;    i    :   ! 

^1 

S.  S.  Scholars  in 
1861 

8«S    i    1    i    j    i    i    :   :   •   ill! 

MiSSION-CONFERERCES 
AND 

Missions. 

a 

c 
e 
a 
t- 

c 

b 

s- 

a 

f- 
a 

s- 
« 
p. 

a 

c 
C 
a 
(- 

« 

si 

a 
c 

s 

a 

c 

i 

i 

Oregon  Conference 

Kansas  Conference 

Wisconsin  Conference 

Ohio  German  Conference 

Kentucky  Conference 

Minnesota  Conference  

Nebraska  Conference 

Tennessee  Missions 

New  England  Missions 

California  Missions 

•  t 

i! 

:l 

: 

00 

1 

262  HOME   MISSIONS. 

The  field  of  labor  which  was  occupied  as 
a  mission  one  year,  became  self-supporting 
the  next,  and  was  dropped  from  the  list  of 
"missions,"  and  the  field  served  as  a  circuit 
one  year  was  divided  the  next,  thus  making 
two  missions,  or  one  self-supporting  w^ork 
and  one  mission.  All,  therefore,  that  can  be 
done  toward  showing  the  statistics  of  the 
home  work,  is  to  give  the  aggregates  as  pub- 
lished by  the  bishops  at  the  General  Confer- 
ences. And,  on  the  whole,  this  may  be  more 
satisfactory  to  the  reader  than  a  lengthy 
tabular  statement,  which,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  must  be  very  imperfect  up  to  the  year 
1861, 

THE  BISHOPS'  ADDRESS 

To  the  General  Conference  in  1861  contained 
the  following  statistics  : 

Preaching  places 5,166 

Classes 3,900 

Members 94i453 

Itinerant  preachers 417 

Local  preachers 1041 —  1,458 

Meeting-houses 1,041 

Sabbath-schools 1,513 

Increase  in  four  years  of  classes 1,284 

Increase  of  members 33,054 

Increase  of  meeting-houses 267 

Increase  of  Sabbath-schools 504 

The  quadrennial  report  of  the  correspond- 


HOME   MISSIONS.  263 

ing  secretary  contained  tlie  following  statis- 
tics : 

Expenditures  for  Sherbro  Mission  in  four  years..    $7,349  67 

FRONTIER    "WORK. 

For  Canada  Conference  in  four  years 3,550  00 

For  Michigan  Conference 500  00 

For  Wisconsin  Conference ^  900  00 

For  Minnesota  Conference 2,020  00 

For  Nebraska  Conference 1,755  00 

For  Kansas  Conference 2,750  00 

For  Missouri  Conference 1,350  00 

For  Tennessee  Conference 731  25 

For  Parkersburg  Conference 873  03 

For  German  Mission-conference $  3,700  00 

For  California 50  00 

Oregon 3,293  09 

Total $  28,822  04 

Salaries  paid  Missionaries $  16,416  40 

Total  expenditures  for  frontier  and  foreign 
missions  for  four  years  ending,  April  30, 
1861 $  45,288  44 

HOME     WORK. 

Whole  amount  paid  for  home  missionary  labor  for 

the  four  years  ending  April  30, 1861 $  81,829  91 

Total    for     home,     frontier,     and    foreign 
work $127,063  35 

INCIDENTAL   EXPENSES   OF    THE   BOARD. 

Salaries $  1,176  28 

Traveling  expenses 738  28 

Printing  and  mailing  reports,  certificates,  mis- 
sionary Telescope,  &c.,  &c 2,443  97 

Interest 1,291  87 

Total $     5,650  40 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Fourteenth    General    Conference  —  Wisconsin    again    made   a 
Mission  Conference — Cascade  Conference  Organized. 

THE  fourteenth  General  Conference  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ  was  held  in 
Western  College,  Iowa,  in  May,  1865.  At 
this  date  the  Board  had  ten  mission-confer- 
ences under  its  fostering  care,  namely: 

Parkersburg,  Missouri,  Kansas,  Oregon, 
California,  Minnesota,  Canada,  Fox  Eiver, 
isTorth  Michigan,  and  Indiana  German. 
•  The  Indiana  German  Conference  was,  at 
this  session  of  the  General  Conference,  united 
with  the  Ohio  German  Conference,  and  con- 
seqiiently  received  no  further  assistance  from 
the  Board.  The  Wisconsin  Conference,  which 
is  wanting  in  the  above  list,  had  been  made 
self-supporting  in  1861,  when  the  Fox  Eiver 
Conference  was  organized  out  of  a  part  of  its 
territory.  But  at  this  General  Conference  it 
was  again  placed  on  the  list  of  mission  con- 
ferences, a  decidedly  unwise  measure. 

The  Oregon  Conference  had  become  quite 
a  strong  body  by  this  date.     A  goodly  num- 


HOME    MISSIONS.  265 

ber  of  its  members  and  ministers  had  emi- 
grated to  the  Walla  Walla  valley,  Washing- 
ton Territory.  So  rapid  had  been  the  growth 
of  the  Church  in  this  valley  that  the  General 
Conference  ordered  that  a  new  mission-con- 
ference be  organized  to  be  called  Cascade — a 
name  that  was  afterward  exchanged  for 
"  Walla  Walla.  "  It  also  voted  to  make 
the  Oregon  a  self-supporting  conference. 

One  year  after,  Bishop  Shuck  reported  to 
the  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society,  the  following  figures  for  the  Pacific 
Coast  District : 

Whole  number  of  members 1,20» 

Decrease  in  one  year 60 

Itinerant  preachers 20 

Local  preachers 18—         38 

Money  collected  for  missions $  191  00 

Money  collected  for  preachers 3,767  53 

From  the  bishops'  address  at  the  same  con- 
ference, I  glean  the  following  figures : 

Whole  number  of  members  in  the  Church 89,911 

Decrease  in  four  years 4,642 

Increase  in  number  of  classes 720 

Number  of  meeting-houses 207 

Number  of  Sabbath-schools 9,928 

Number  of  Sabbath-school  scholars 68,171 

The  bishops  state  that  they  had  no  report 
from  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  the  Pacific  Coast, 
or  from  that  part  of  the  Virginia  and  Parkers- 


266  HOME   MISSIONS. 

burg  conferences  within  the  rebel  lines.  Had 
these  figures  been  obtained  they  would  have 
shown  that  the  Church  had  at  least  held  its 
own  during  the  war,  instead  of  decreasing,  as 
their  figures  show,  4,642. 

The  money  expended  for  frontier  and 
foreign  works,  and  for  conferences,  is  ex- 
hibited in  the  following  table  : 

FOREIGN    WORK. 

Sherbro  Mission — West  Africa,  for  the  quadren- 
nial term  ending  April  30, 1865 $  5,530  29 

FRONTIER   WORK. 

Massachusetts  Mission 793  68 

Kentucky  Missions 100  25 

California  Conference 1,351  00 

Oregon  Conference 900  00 

Kansas  Conference 1,415  83 

Missouri  Conference 1,308  80 

Minnesota  Conference 1,080  42 

Tennessee  Mission 206  00 

Fox  River  Conference 850  00 

North  Michigan  Conference 831  66 

Canada  Conference 1,185  28 

Parkersburg  Conference 805  15 

Indiana  German  Conference 1,566  66 

Nebraska  Mission 50  00 

Freedmen's  Mission 10,170  81 

Total  sum  paid  by  board  to  missionaries $  28,145  83 

Salary  paid  missionaries  by  their  fields..  .» 22,459  68 

Total  sum  paid  missionaries  in  the  foreign  and 

frontier  fields $  50,605  51 

The  branch  societies,  or  annual  conferences,  paid 
to  home  missionaries  in  the  four  years,  in- 
cluding salary  received  on  their  fields 102,631  55 

Total  sum  spent  for  foreign,  frontier,  and  home 

work $153,237  06 


HOME   MISSIONS.  267 

mCIDENTAL    EXPENSES    FOR    THE    FOUR    YEARS   ENDING    APRIL 

30,  1862. 

On  salaries  and  clerk-hire $2,532  00 

Interest  and  discount 972  30 

Postage,  stationery,  expressage,  and  sundries 222  47 

Printing  annual  reports  and  certificates 672  96 

Plate  for  certificates 130  00 

Traveling  expenses 824  31 

Total $5,354  04 


CHAPTER  V. 

Twelve    Mission  Conferences  —  North-Michigan  Self-support- 
ing— German  Missions  in  Toledo  and  Columbus. 

THE  fifteenth  General  Conference  was 
held  in  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
month  of  May,  1869.  There  were  now  thirty- 
eight  annual  conferences.  Of  these,  thirty- 
three  were  represented  in  the  General  Confer- 
ence, namely :  Alleghany,  Auglaize,  Canada, 
East  Des  Moines.  West  Des  Moines,  Erie,  In- 
diana, Illinois,  Illinois  Central,  Iowa,  North 
Iowa,  Kansas,  Miami,  Muskingum,  Michigan, 
North  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Missouri,  Ohio 
German,  Pennsylvania,  East  Pennsylvania, 
Parkersburg,  Eock  River,  Sandusky,  St.  Jo- 
seph, Scioto,  Tennessee,  Virginia,  White  Riv- 
er, Upper  \V  abash,  Lower  Wabash,  Western 
Reserve,  Wisconsin — 33. 

Not  represented. — Cascade,  Oregon,  Cali- 
fornia, Kentucky,  Fox  River — 5. 

Of  these  thirty-eight  conferences,  twelve 
were  on  the  list  of  mission-conferences,  name- 
ly :  Cascade,  California,  Kansas^  Missouri, 
Minnesota,    Wisconsin,    Fox    River,    North 


HOME   MISSIONS.  269 

Michigan,  Canada,  Kentucky,  Tennesseee, 
and  Parkersburg.  The  General  Conference 
added  to  the  list  the  Osage  Conference,  which 
was  organized  by  Bishop  Dickson  in  April, 
1870,  with  twenty-one  preachers.  It  includes 
in  its  territory  a  portion  of  southern  Missouri, 
and  southern  Kansas.  But  the  Xorth  Mich- 
igan Conference  was  made  self-supporting, 
and  denominated  the  Michigan  Conference, 
and  the  hitherto  Michigan  Conference  was 
now  named  "the  [N'orth  Ohio  Conference." 
Thus  the  Board  commenced  the  quadren- 
nial term  with  twelve  mission-conferences. 
In  these  conferences,  and  independent  or  de- 
tached missions,  it  employed  eighty-seven 
missionaries,  and  three  in  the  foreign  work. 
There  were  also  employed  by  the  conferences 
on  home  fields,  one  hundred  and  ninety-three 
missionaries;  making  an  aggregate  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty-three  missionaries  em- 
ployed by  the  Church.  These  missionaries 
received  an  average  sahiry  of  .^294.63.  This 
included  all  that  was  paid  them  by  the  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  the  fields  which  they 
served.  It  can  not  be  claimed  that  our  mis- 
sionaries work  only  for  money.  There  is, 
perha})s.    no    e([ual    nunil>er   of   men    in    the 


270  HOME   MISSIONS. 

world  who  do  so  much  work  for  so  little  pay. 

The  Bishops'  Address  at  this  General 
Conference  showed  that  there  were  89,811 
members  connected  with  the  Church.  This 
was  a  gain  of  18,311  in  four  years — a  very 
gratifying  showing. 

They  also  reported  as  follows : 

Meeting-houses 1,400 

Increase 152 

Number  of  Sabbath-schools 2,268 

Sabbath-school  scholars 106,002 

Money  collected  for  Sabbath-school  purposes $100,000  00 

During  the  quadrennial  term  the  Board 
had  aided  the  Ohio  German  Conference  in  es- 
tablishing a  mission  among  the  Germans  in 
Columbus,  and  another  in  Toledo,  Ohio.  It 
had  also  sent  several  missionaries  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  These 
explanations  will  enable  the  reader  to  un- 
derstand the  following  table,  which  shows 
what  sums,  and  where  the  missionary  money 
was  expended. 

FOREIGN   FIELD. 

Sherbro  Mission — West  Africa,  for  the  quadrennial 

term  ending  April  30,  1869 $6,183  45 

FRONTIER   FIELD. 

Canada  Conference,  for  the  quadrennial  term  end- 
ing April  30,1869 1,355  54 

Fox  River  Conference 1,300  00 

Wisconsin  Conference 1,096  53 


UOME    MISSIONS.  271 

Cascade  Conference 1,500  23 

California  Conference 1,500  82 

Parkersburg  Conference 1,8C0  00 

Missouri  Conference 3,479  15 

Kansas  Conference 1,688  27 

Minnesota  Conference 1,591  34 

North  Michigan  Conference 1,321  00 

Kentucky  Conference 3,281  05 

Tennessee  Conference 3,601  34 

Indiana  German  Conference 250  00 

Columbus,  Ohio,  German  Mission 700  00 

Toledo,  Ohio,  German  Mission 510  10 

Southern  Illinois  Mission 1,842  75 

Freedmen's  Mission,  Vicksburg,  Mississippi 1,390  12 

Dakota  Mission 125  00 

Southern  Missouri  Mission. 142  CO 

Total  sums  paid  to  frontier  and  foreign  missions  in 

four  years $34,668  86 

Salary   paid  missionaries   by  their  fields  for  the 

quadrennial  term  ending  April  30,  1869 $52^815  58 

Whole  amount  paid  frontier  and  foreign  mission- 
aries   $87,484  27 

HOME    MISSIONS. 

Missionary  money  paid  by  branch  treasurers,  for 

the  quadrennial  term  ending  April  30,  1869... $69, 701  13 

Salaries  paid  to  home  missionsries  for  the  quad- 
rennial term  ending  April  30,  1869 118,538  40 

Whole  amount  paid  to  home,  frontier,  and  foreign • 

missionaries $275,723  80 

MISCELLANEOUS    EXPENDITURES   FOR   THE    FOUR  YEARS    ENDING 
APRIL  30,  1869. 

Salaries : $3,768  75 

Traveling  expenses  of  Board  and  officers.. 938  99 

Expressage,  postage,  and  stationery 238  56 

Interest,  discount,  and  exchange 134  01 

Printing  annual  reports,  certificates,  etc 1,395  16 

Mission-room  rent,  and  other  expenses 208  87 

$6,684  24 


272  HOME   MISSIONS. 

SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  WHOLE  WORK,  MAY,  1869. 

HOME    MISSIONS. 

Number  of  mission  fields 177 

Number  of  appointments 763 

Number  of  meeting-houses 154 

Number' of  church-members 15,250 

Number  of  Sabbath-schools 350 

Number  of  teachers. 2,332 

Number  of  scholars 15,179 

FRONTIER  AND  FOREIGN  FIELDS. 

Number  of  mission  fields » 96 

Number  of  appointments 638 

Number  of  meeting-houses 44 

Number  of  church-members 7,649 

Number  of  Sabbath-schools 240 

Number  of  teachers 1,094 

Number  of  scholars 7,585 

EXPENDITURES  IN  SIXTEEN  YEARS. 

For  the  quadrennial  term  ending  April  30, 1857....$  81,681  21 
For  the  quadrennial  term  ending  April  30, 1861...  127,063  35 
For  the  quadrennial  term  ending  April  30, 1865...  152,898  66 
For  the  quadrennial  term  ending  April  30, 1869...  275,723  80 

Total $637,367  02 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Increase  in  Numbers — Improvement  in  Book-keeping — Finan- 
cial Exhibit  of  Twenty  Years— Sixteenth  General  Confer- 
ence, in  Dayton,  Ohio. 

11^  the  reader  lias  scrutinized  tlie  foregoing 
tables,  he  has  been  impressed  with  two 
conclusions  of  great  importance.  The  first  is 
that  the  United  Brethren  Church  has  steadily 
increased  ever  since  the  organization  of  the 
Missionary  Society,  if  not  at  a  rapid,  yet 
creditable  and  reliable  rate.  In  some  local- 
ities the  progress  has  been  quite  slow;  in 
others  there  has  been  an  actual  decline ;  but 
in  the  aggregate  the  increase  has  been  much 
more  noticeable  and  permanent  than  it  was 
prior  to  1853.  The  second  conclusion  is,  that 
while  the  Church  has  increased  rapidly  in 
numbers,  wealth,  and  benevolent  contribu- 
tions, she  has  also  advanced  in  the  art  of 
book-keeping,  and  collecting,  systematizing, 
preserving,  and  publishing  statistics.  Of 
course,  the  reader  must  not  think  that  all  the 
increase  and  improvement  the  Church  has 
made  in  the  last  two  decades  is  wholly  owing 

to  the  efforts  of  the  Missionary  Society.    The 
i8 


274  HOME  MISSIONS.. 

colleges  have  exerted  a  vast  influence,  both 
in  adding  to  the  sum  total  of  the  intelligence 
of  the  Church,  and  the  spirit  of  beneficence, 
that  have  surpassed  the  highest  expectations 
of  the  most  sanguine.  But  making  due  al- 
lowance for  the  influence  of  the  colleges,  the 
printing  establishment,  and  other  agencies 
not  necessary  here  to  mention,  it  still  remains 
true  that  the  Missionary  Society  has,  under 
the  blessing  of  God,  wrought  an  untold  and 
incalculable  amount  of  good,  both  in  the 
work  of  evangelization  itself,  and  in  culti- 
vating the  graces  of  a  Christian  character  on 
the  part  of  the  membership  at  large. 

The  sixteenth  General  Conference,  which 
met  in  May,  1873,  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  was  the 
largest  ecclesiastical  body  ever  assembled  in 
the  denomination.  There  were  forty-two  or- 
ganized annual  conferences  in  the  connection 
at  this  date.  Of  this  number,  thirty -eight  were 
represented  by  delegates  on  the  floor  of  the 
General  Conference,  namely :  Alleghany, 
Auglaize,  Canada,  Central  Illinois',  Colorado, 
East  Des  Moines,  East  German,  East  Penn- 
sylvania, Erie,  Fox  Kiver,  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Iowa,  Kansas,  Lower  Wabash,  Miami,  Mich- 
igan, Minnesota,  Missouri,  Muskingum,  !N"orth 


HOME   MISSIONS.  275 

Iowa,  N'orth  Ohio,  Ohio  German,  Oregon^ 
Osage,  Parkersburg,  Pennsylvania,  Pock  liiv- 
er,  Sandusky,  Scioto,  Southern  Illinois,  St. 
Joseph,  Upper  AVabash,  Virginia,  West  Des 
Moines,  Western  Keserve,  White  Piver,  Wis- 
consin— 38. 

Not  represented. — California,  Cascade,  Da- 
cota, Tennessee — 4. 

It  is  proper  to  remark  that  delegates  were 
elected  for  these  four  unrepresented  confer- 
ences, but  they  failed  to  attend;  also,  that 
Oregon,  Colorado,  Osage,  and  Southern  Illi- 
nois, had  but  one  delegate  each,  in  attendance; 
West  Des  Moines,  and  Minnesota  had  two 
delegates  in  the  conference,  making  the  total 
number  of  delegates  composing  the  Confer- 
ence one  hundred  and  four.  Add  to  this  the 
four  bishops,  who  also  have  a  vote  in  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  and  it  will  be  seen  there  were 
present  one  hundred  and  eight  members. 

Of  the  forty  -  two,  fourteen  were  mis- 
sion-conferences, to  wit:  Cascade, — whose 
name  was  very  properly  changed  by  this 
General  Conference  to  Walla  Walla, — Califor- 
nia, Colorado,  Osage,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Da- 
kota, Minnesota,  Fox  Piver,  Wisconsin, 
Southern   Illinois,   Tennessee,    Parkersburg, 


276  HOME   MISSIONS. 

and  Canada.  Oregon  Conference,  which  had 
been  self-supporting  for  eight  years,  was 
again  reduced  to  a  mission-conference.  A 
mission-conference  was  also  ordered  for  the 
State  of  Nebraska,  making  in  all,  sixteen  mis- 
sion-conferences. But  the  General  Confer- 
ence also  voted  that  after  the  second  session 
succeeding  the  present  session  of  the  General 
Conference,  the  Parkersburg,  Kansas,  Mis- 
souri, and  Wisconsin  conferences  should 
become  self-supporting,  thus  leaving  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  with  the  care  of  one  dozen 
mission-conferences. 

THE  BISHOPS'  ADDRESS. 

This  document,  always  important,  was  of 
unusual  interest  at  this  session,  as,  in  a  few 
words  it  recounted,  in  actual  statistics,  sub- 
stantial progress  in  all  the  elements  that  go 
to  make  up  an  active  and  strong  church,  ca- 
pable of  accomplishing  much  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  Master's  kingdom. 

Number  of  church-members 125,658 

Increase  in  four  years 17,347 

Number  of  meeting-houses 1,657 

Increase  in  four  years 257 

Number  of  Sunday-schools 2,662 

Number  of  scholars 128,425 

Increase  in  the  number  of  schools 756 

Increase  in  the  number  of  scholars 22i423 


HOME   MISSIONS.  277 

They  add  that  in  addition  to  supporting 
themselves  the  Sabbath-schools  had  during 
the  term  contributed  $4,000  for  the  General 
Sabbath-school  Association,  and  that  the  col- 
lections for  this  purpose  were  steadily  in- 
creasing from  year  to  year. 

The  corresponding  secretary's  report 
showed  that  the  Missionary  Society  now 
employed  three  hundred  and  thirteen  labor- 
ers, and  that  their  average  salary  was  $296. 
Eight  of  these  missionaries  were  in  foreign 
fields,  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  in  fron- 
tier fields,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-two 
in  home  fields. 

Amount  of  missionary  money  contributed  by  the 

Church $  49,227  35 

Salaries  paid  by  fields  served  by  missionaries 52,420  39 

Total $101,647  74 

EXPENDITURES  IN  FOUR  YEARS. 

Bavaria  Mission,  Germany $  2,216  18 

Sherbro  Mission,  West  Africa 13,985  45 

Canada  Conference 1,849  55 

Fox  River  Conference 1,577  59 

Wisconsin  Conference 930  19 

Minnesota  Conference 1,660  88 

Dacotah  Conference 1,583  87 

Cascade  Conference 2,556  09 

California  Conference 2,113  09 

Colorado  Conference 2,616  03 

Osage  Conference 2,068  68 

Kansas  Conference 1,286  95 


278  HOME   MISSIONS. 

Missouri  Conference 1,069  TO 

Southern  Illinois  Conference 3,190  32 

Tennessee  Conference 3,079  92 

Parkersburg  Conference 2,315  00 

Kentucky  missions 1,096  54 

Columbus,  Ohio,  German  Mission 2,669  02 

Toledo,  Ohio,  German  Mission 1,826  37 

Southwestern  Missouri  Mission,  for  1870 57  00 

Freedmen's  Mission,  Virginia 188  05 

Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  German  Mission 100  25 

Nebraska  Mission 100  00 

Philadelphia  German  Mission 10  00 

Total $49,700  48 

Salaries  in  mission  conferences,  including  the 

sums  paid  by  branch  treasurers $  58,813  77 

Total  paid  to  frontier  and  foreign  missions $108,514  2b 

HOME   MISSIONS. 

Paid  to  missionaries  by  branch  treasurers $  86,979  81 

Paid  missionaries  by  fields,  as  salary... , 165,276  41 

Total  to  home  missions $252,256  22 

Total  to  home,  frontier,  and  foreign  work $360,770  47 

MISCELLANEOUS  EXPENDITURES  FOR  FOUR  TEARS. 

On  salaries , $  7,025  58 

Traveling  expenses 1,926  25 

Stationery,  eipressage,  postage,  telegrams 366  79 

Interest,  exchange,  taxes,  revenue  stamps 364  81 

Printing  annual  reports,  circulars,  etc 1,460  23 

Fcrel,  light,  repairs 148  65 

For  Kansas  tent ^...  395  40 

Lawyer's  and  court  charges 44  15 

To  secretaries  of  annual  meetings 13  00 

For  the  education  and  support  of  D.  F.  Wilberforce  213  69 

To  J .  P .  Morris,  guardian  of  Rev.  I.  Sloan's  children  200  00 

Money  lost  by  the  mails 8  00 

For  pencil-sketch  for  new  certificate 90  00 

Blank  books  for  records 8  60 

Total  miscellaneous  expenditures $12,265  15 


HOME   MISSIONS.  279 


FINANCIAL   EXHIBIT   OF   TWENTY  TEARS. 

The  Missionary  Society  expended  during  the  first 

quadrennial  term,  ending  April,  30,  1857 $  81,681  21 

For  the  second  term,  ending  April  30,  1861 127,063  35 

For  the  third  term,  ending  April  30,  1865 152,898  66 

For  the  fourth  term,  ending  April  30,  1869 275,723  80 

For  the  fifth  term,  ending  April  30,  1873 360,770  47 

Total $998,137  49 


